Flow characteristics of water through a microchannel between two parallel plates with electrokinetic effects

This paper investigates the interfacial electrokinetic effects on characteristics of liquid flow through a microchannel between two parallel plates. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of electric double layer (EDL) on flow characteristics with different potassium chloride concentrations in water and with different plate materials, P-type silicon, and grass. Microchannels with a height ranging from 10 similar to 280 mu m were used in the measurement. A mathematical model was developed for steady-state liquid flow with the consideration of EDL effects. The predicted volume flow rates agree well with the measured data. The effects of the EDL field, the ionic concentration, and the channel size an the velocity distribution and friction factor are also discussed in this paper. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc.