The influence of microparticles on electroosmotic flow was investigated experimentally. Experiments were conducted using four different particle types of varying chemical composition, surface charge and polarity. Each particle type was tested at five different volume fractions ranging from 0.001 – 0.025. With a constant applied electric field, positively charged particles enhanced the electroosmotic flow by as much as 800%. The enhancement depended on particle composition, size and concentration. For negatively charged particles, the bulk electroosmotic flow was retarded with the largest reductions being 35%.

Volume Subject Area:
Fluids Engineering
Topics:
Electroosmosis, Particulate matter, Water, Electric fields, Microparticles
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