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Geometric pumping in autophoretic channels.


Type

Article

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Authors

Michelin, Sébastien 
Montenegro-Johnson, Thomas D 
De Canio, Gabriele 
Lobato-Dauzier, Nicolas 

Abstract

Many microfluidic devices use macroscopic pressure differentials to overcome viscous friction and generate flows in microchannels. In this work, we investigate how the chemical and geometric properties of the channel walls can drive a net flow by exploiting the autophoretic slip flows induced along active walls by local concentration gradients of a solute species. We show that chemical patterning of the wall is not required to generate and control a net flux within the channel, rather channel geometry alone is sufficient. Using numerical simulations, we determine how geometric characteristics of the wall influence channel flow rate, and confirm our results analytically in the asymptotic limit of lubrication theory.

Description

Keywords

Microfluidic Analytical Techniques, Solutions, Viscosity

Journal Title

Soft Matter

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1744-683X
1744-6848

Volume Title

11

Publisher

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Sponsorship
SM acknowledges the support of the French Ministry of Defense (DGA). TDMJ is supported by a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellowship. GDC acknowledges support from Associazione Residenti Torrescalla. This work was funded in part by a European Union Marie Curie CIG Grant to EL.