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Electrokinetic Micro- and Nanofluidics

The complex interplay of electrophoretic, electroosmotic, bulk convective, and diffusive mass/charge transport coupled with (electro-)chemical reactions offers unique opportunities in the design of multifunctional devices for enrichment, detection, and separation of ions and charged analytes. To tailor design and operation of microfluidic electrokinetic devices we have developed an efficient numerical model based on the resolution of the 3D coupled Navier–Stokes, Nernst–Planck, and Poisson equations on spatially non-uniform grids. It allows to simulate mass/charge transport coupled with surface and volume reactions in 3D systems of arbitrary geometrical configuration. Specifically, the developed model was used to reveal, understand, and characterize key phenomena behind concentration enrichment during bipolar electrode focusing, ionic-current rectification in nanochannel–nanofunnel devices, and electrochemically-mediated seawater desalination.

Highlighted publications:

Dhopeshwarkar, D. Hlushkou, M. Nguyen, U. Tallarek, R.M. Crooks
Electrokinetics in microfluidic channels containing a floating electrode.
Journal of the American Chemical Society 2008, 130, 10480–10481. DOI: 10.1021/ja8036405

Hlushkou, R.K. Perdue, R. Dhopeshwarkar, R.M. Crooks, U. Tallarek
Electric field gradient focusing in microchannels with embedded bipolar electrode.
Lab on a Chip 2009, 9, 1903–1913. DOI: 10.1039/b822404h

Hlushkou, J.M. Perry, S.C. Jacobson, U. Tallarek
Propagating concentration polarization and ionic current rectification in a nanochannel-nanofunnel device.
Analytical Chemistry 2012, 84, 267–274. DOI: 10.1021/ac202501v

K.N. Knust, D. Hlushkou, R.K. Anand, U. Tallarek, R.M. Crooks
Electrochemically mediated seawater desalination.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2013, 52, 8107–8110.
Angewandte Chemie 2013, 125, 8265–8268. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201302577

K.N. Knust, D. Hlushkou, U. Tallarek, R.M. Crooks
Electrochemical desalination for a sustainable water future.
ChemElectroChem 2014, 1, 850–857. DOI: 10.1002/celc.201300236

Hlushkou, K.N. Knust, R.M. Crooks, U. Tallarek
Numerical simulation of electrochemical desalination.
Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2016, 28, 194001. DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/28/19/194001