• Open Access

Electro-osmotic diode based on colloidal nano-valves between double membranes

Shihori Koyama, Daisuke Inoue, Akihisa Okada, and Hiroaki Yoshida
Phys. Rev. Research 3, 033289 – Published 30 September 2021

Abstract

The rectification of electro-osmotic flows is important in micro- and nano-fluidics applications such as micropumps and energy conversion devices. Here, we propose a simple electro-osmotic diode in which colloidal particles are contained between two parallel membranes with different pore densities. While the flow in the forward direction just pushes the colloidal particles toward the high-pore-density membrane, the backward flow is blocked by the particles near the low-pore-density membrane, which clog the pores. Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations show a strong nonlinear dependence on the electric field for both the electric current and electro-osmotic flow, indicating diode characteristics. A mathematical model to reproduce the electro-osmotic diode behavior is constructed, introducing an effective pore diameter as a model for pores clogged by the colloidal particles. Good agreement is obtained between the proposed model with estimated parameter values and the results of direct molecular dynamics simulations. The proposed electro-osmotic diode has potential application in downsized microfluidic pumps, e.g., the pump induced under AC electric fields.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
6 More
  • Received 31 May 2021
  • Accepted 7 September 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.033289

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Fluid DynamicsStatistical Physics & ThermodynamicsPolymers & Soft Matter

Authors & Affiliations

Shihori Koyama, Daisuke Inoue, Akihisa Okada, and Hiroaki Yoshida*

  • Toyota Central R&D Labs, Inc., Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0004, Japan

  • *h-yoshida@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp

Article Text

Click to Expand

References

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 3, Iss. 3 — September - November 2021

Subject Areas
Reuse & Permissions
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Research

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

×

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×