Title: Electrokinetic Microflow Instability With Conductivity Gradients
Abstract: We have experimentally identified and quantified an electrokinetic flow instability that occurs in DC-electric-field driven microfluidic channels with significant conductivity gradients. We have, for the first time, developed a physical model for this instability which captures the interactions between bulk charge accumulation, electromigration, convection, and diffusion. A linear stability analysis based on this model captures key physics of this convective instability with a threshold electric field. The model and experiments show conductivity gradients and their associated bulk charge accumulation are crucial for such instabilities.
Publication Year: 2003
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 8
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