Geometrically-tuned channel permeability

TL;DR

This paper models how the geometry of corrugated channels influences the transport of charged and neutral tracers, providing simplified methods to predict currents and electric effects in electrolyte-filled channels.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic approximation approach to analyze transport in geometrically confined electrolyte channels, capturing key effects of channel shape and electrolyte properties.

Findings

Characterized tracer currents in corrugated channels.

Estimated net electric current for mixed charge tracers.

Provided simplified analytical framework for transport prediction.

Abstract

We characterize the motion of charged as well as neutral tracers, in an electrolyte embedded in a varying section channel. We exploit a set of systematic approximations that allows us to simplify the problem, yet capturing the essential of the interplay between the geometrical confinement provided by the corrugated channel walls and the electrolyte properties. Our simplified approach allows us to characterize the transport properties of corrugated channels when a net flux of tracers is obtained by keeping the extrema of the channel at different chemical potentials. For highly diluted tracer suspensions, we have characterized tracers currents and we have estimated the net electric current which occurs when both positively and negatively charged tracers are considered.