Session NC: Microfluidics: Electrophoresis and Electroosmosis II
11:01 AM–1:37 PM, Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Hilton Chicago Room: Grand Ballroom
Chair: Sandip Ghosal, Northwestern University
Abstract ID: BAPS.2005.DFD.NC.6
Abstract: NC.00006 : Countering capillary pressure with electroosmotic pressure at small scales
12:06 PM–12:19 PM
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Abstract 
Authors:
Paul Steen
Michael Vogel
(Cornell University)
Peter Ehrhard
(IKET, FzK Germany)
Electroosmosis, originating in the double-layer of a small liquid-filled pore (size $R$) and driven by a voltage $V$, is shown to be effective in pumping liquid against the capillary pressure of a larger liquid droplet (size $B$) provided the dimensionless parameter $R^2 \sigma /\varepsilon | \zeta | V B$ is small enough. Here $\sigma$ is surface tension of the droplet liquid/gas interface, $\varepsilon$ the liquid dielectric constant, and $\zeta$ the zeta potential of the solid/liquid pair. As droplet size diminishes, the voltage required to pump eletroosmotically scales as $V \sim R^2/B$. Accordingly, the voltage needed to pump against smaller higher-pressure droplets can actually {\em decrease} provided the pump pore-size scales down with droplet size appropriately. In this talk, we shall focus on the electroosmotic droplet-switch, two droplets coupled by an electroosmotic pump. For millimeter-size droplets and micron-size pores, 5 volts yields switching times under 5 seconds in experiment. The down-scaling of this voltage and switching-time are of interest.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2005.DFD.NC.6