Multi-Physics Modeling and Finite Element Approximation of Charge Flow in Ionic Channels

Abstract

This communication deals with the mathematical modeling and numerical simulation of charge transport in single-cell ionic channels. The adopted model consists of a coupled system comprising the Poisson-Nernst-Planck and the Navier-Stokes equations. Suitable functional iteration techniques are used to successively solve the model equations, and stable and conservative finite element methods are employed for the discretization of each linearized problem arising from decoupling. Models and computational techniques are validated on the numerical simulation of a two-dimensional ionic channel under several working conditions