Electrophoretic motion of a liquid droplet within an uncharged cylindrical pore
Journal
World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
Journal Volume
77
Pages
1033-1038
Date Issued
2011
Author(s)
Huang C.-H.
Abstract
Electrophoretic motion of a liquid droplet within an uncharged cylindrical pore is investigated theoretically in this study. It is found that the boundary effect in terms of the reduction of droplet mobility (droplet velocity per unit strength of the applied electric field) is very significant when the double layer surrounding the droplet is thick, and diminishes as it gets very thin. Moreover, the viscosity ratio of the ambient fluid to the internal one, £m, is a crucial factor in determining its electrophoretic behavior. The boundary effect is less significant as the viscosity ratio gets high. Up to 70% mobility reduction is observed when this ratio is low (£m = 0.01), whereas only 40% reduction when it is high (£m = 100). The results of this study can be utilized in various fields of biotechnology, such as a biosensor or a lab-on-a-chip device.
Subjects
Cylindrical pore
Electrophoresis
Lab-on-a-chip
Liquid droplet
Type
journal article