Parametric Study of an Electroosmotic Micromixer with Heterogeneous Charged Surface Patches

Abstract

A T-shaped micromixer featuring electroosmotic flow with heterogeneous charged surface patches on the channel walls was analyzed, and an improved design was proposed to enhance mixing performance. Numerical analysis was performed using steady Navier-Stokes equations with an additional electrokinetic body force. The numerical results for species concentration were validated with available experimental data. A parametric analysis of the micromixer was performed by varying channel height, channel width, patch width, and externally applied voltage. The effects of these parameters on the flow structure and mixing performance were analyzed in detail. A quantitative measurement based upon the mass variance was employed to quantify the mixing performance. Numerical results of the parametric study were used to propose an improved micromixer design with spacing between adjacent charged patches. The proposed design provided a more favorable flow structure to allow for enhanced mixing performance.

Keywords

• micromixer
• electrokinetics
• electroosmotic flow
• charged surface patches