Modulation of reaction rate at inhomogeneous charged interfaces by electrohydrodynamic effects

Abstract

We developed a theoretical model to investigate the effect of lateral inhomogeneities on the transport of ions across a charged membrane. The model focuses on the interfacial convective motions induced by non-uniforms stress inside the fluid. The formal solution has been obtained by combining the transport equations for the charged species with the Navier-Stokes and Poisson’s equations. When the concentratio nof the reactive ions is such much smaller than that of inert electrolytes, a perturbation solution can be employed. The final formulas relate the flow enhancement to the spatial variation of the potential and to the properties of the medium. Numerical estimates show that convective effects may play a relevant role in modulating interfacial reactions.