Electroosmotic helical flow produced by combined use of longitudinal and transversal electric fields in a rectangular microchannel

Abstract

We theoretically devise and simulate a microelectrode system that produces electroosmotic helical flow in a straight rectangular microchannel. In addition to a pair of primary electrodes that generate a longitudinal electric field, sets of secondary electrodes are installed to produce a transversal electric field. The secondary electrode system consists of point electrodes embedded along two edges of the bottom surface of the channel. The transversal electric field developed across the bottom surface causes the electroosmotic motion of fluid at the bottom of the channel along the transversal direction. As a combined effect of the primary electrode system that produces unidirectional longitudinal flow along the channel and the secondary electrode system that produces transversal flow across the bottom surface, the flow inside a rectangular microchannel follows a helical pattern. After simulating the electroosmotic helical flows developed in microchannels we analyze the mixing of sample liquid in such flow fields by calculating the trajectories of fluid particles.