Electroosmosis in conducting nanofluidic channels

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical model of electroosmosis in conducting nanochannels, proposing a novel nanofluidic system with adjustable ion selectivity and flow control that operates with low voltage, enabling simpler energization.

Contribution

It introduces a new nanofluidic device design based on induced charge electrokinetics, allowing low-voltage operation and enhanced control over ion flow.

Findings

Proposes a nanofluidic system with adjustable ion selectivity.

Demonstrates low-voltage operation feasible with conductive walls.

Suggests potential to overcome limitations of traditional metal-electrolyte systems.

Abstract

Theoretical modeling of electroosmosis through conducting (ideally polarizable) nanochannels is reported. Based on the theory of induced charge electrokinetics, a novel nanofluidic system which possesses both adjustable ion selective characteristics and flexible flow control is proposed. Such nanofluidic devices operate only with very low gate control voltage applied on the conductive walls of nanochannels, and thus even can be energized by normal batteries. We believe that it is possible to use such metal-electrolyte configurations to overcome the difficulties met with conventional metal-isolator-electrolyte systems for nanofluidic applications.