Analytical modeling of electrokinetic effect on thermal transport in electrolytic flow in microchannels

Abstract

A fundamental understanding of electrolytic flow in micro and nano channels is essential for the design of microfluidic devices. In this paper, an analytical investigation is carried out to study the behavior of the electrostatic potential developed at the microchannel surface with the electrokinetic distance and zeta potential. The present work also deals with finding an analytical expression for the dimensional and non-dimensional velocity profile. An expression for the C/sub f/Re product is derived, based on the non-dimensional velocity profile. The characteristic thickness, which is an indicator of the formation of the electric double layer, varies with the ionic concentration of the electrolyte and this behavior has been plotted for different values of ionic strengths.