A NOVEL APPROACH FOR ELECTROKINETIC PHENOMENA IN SOFT MATTER

Abstract

Electrokinetic phenomena controls and drives many interactions in soft matter physics. In biology, for example, many of living functions are derived from complicated electrokinetic phenomena that interrelates cells, solvents, ions, solutes and tissues. This paper defines, explores and provides a novel method towards the analysis and understanding of such problems. The new method is a generalization of the General Geometry Ewald-like Method (GGEM); it combines continuum and statistical mechanics through a Green’s function formalism for the long-range interactions. In this way, the separation of time and length scales, commonly encountered in soft matter fluids, is avoided. The fundamental equations behind electrokinetic problems are exposed and the paper finishes with a description of the novel Nernst-Planck-GGEM approach.