Abstract
Numerical and experimental investigations are performed to examine the feasibility of inducing electrokinetic instability (EKI) phenomena in two-channel junctions containing two aqueous electrolytes with a 10:1 conductivity ratio via the application of a low-intensity DC electrical field. A deep microchannel with 700 μm in depth and 100 μm in width was designed, fabricated and used in this investigation. The results show that when the species streams are injected such that the conductivity gradient between them is perpendicular to the DC electrical driving field, an EKI effect can only be induced by applying a high electrical field intensity of 0.54 V/cm. However, when the potentials applied to the reservoirs of the microchip are switched such that the conductivity gradient is not perpendicular to the electrical field, flow instability can be achieved by applying a lower electrical field intensity.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
C.C. Chang, R.J. Yang, Microfluid Nanofluid 3, 501 (2007)
C.H. Chen, H. Lin, S.K. Lele, J.G. Santiago, J. Fluid Mech. 524, 263 (2005)
R. Dhopeshwarkar, S.A. Li, R.M. Crooks, Lab Chip 5, 1148 (2005)
V. Dolnik, S. Liu, S. Jovanovich, Electrophoresis. 21, 41 (2000)
M.Z. Huang, R.J. Yang, C.H. Tai, C.H. Tsai, L.M. Fu, Biomed. Microdevices 8, 309 (2006)
S.C. Jacobson, J.M. Ramsey, Anal. Chem. 69, 3212 (1997)
C.H. Lin, C.H. Tsai, L.M. Fu, J. Micromech. Microeng. 15, 935 (2005)
H. Lin, B.D. Storey, M.H. Oddy, C.H. Chen, J.G. Santiago, Phys. Fluids. 16, 1922 (2004)
A. Manz, C.S. Effenhauser, N. Burggraf, D.J. Harrison, K. Seiler, J. Fluri, J. Micromech. Microeng. 4, 257 (1994)
M.H. Oddy, J.G. Santiago, J.C. Mikkelsen, Anal. Chem. 73, 5822 (2001)
Y.J. Pan, R.J. Yang, Biomed. Microdevices 9, 555 (2007)
Y.J. Pan, C.M. Ren, R.J. Yang, J. Micromech. Microeng. 17, 820 (2007)
L. Park, S.M. Shin, K.Y. Huh, I.S. Kang, Phys. Fluids. 17, 118101 (2005)
J.D. Posner, J.G. Santiago, J. Fluid Mech. 555, 1 (2006)
R.F. Probstein, Physicochemical Hydrodynamics: An introduction (Wiley, New York, 1994)
C.H. Tai, R.J. Yang, M.Z. Huang, C.W. Liu, C.H. Tsai, L.M. Fu, Electrophoresis 27, 4982 (2006)
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided to this study by the National Science Council of Taiwan under Grant No. NSC 95-2221-E-006-384-MY2 and NSC 96-2628-E-006-162-MY3.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pan, YJ., Yang, RJ. An investigation of the effects of inlet channel geometry on electrokinetic instabilities. Biomed Microdevices 11, 9–16 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-008-9193-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-008-9193-4