Electroosmosis over non-uniformly charged surfaces: modified Smoluchowski slip velocity for second-order fluids

Abstract

In the present paper we focus on deriving the modified Smoluchowski slip velocity of second-order fluids, for electroosmotic flows over plane surfaces with arbitrary non-uniform surface potential in the presence of thin electric double layers (EDLs). We employ matched asymptotic expansion to stretch the electric double layer and subsequently apply regular asymptotic expansions taking the Deborah number ( De ) as the gauge function. Modified slip velocities correct up to O(De2) are presented. Two sample cases are considered to demonstrate the effects of viscoelasticity on slip velocity: (i) an axially periodic patterned potential and (ii) a step-change-like variation in the surface potential. The central result of our analysis is that, unlike Newtonian fluids, the electroosmotic slip velocity for second-order fluids does not, in general, align with the direction of the applied external electric field. Proceeding further forward, we show that the slip velocity in a given direction may, in fact, depend on the applied electric field strength in a mutually orthogonal direction, considering three dimensionality of the flow structure. In addition, we demonstrate that the modified slip velocity is not proportional to the zeta potential, as in the cases of Newtonian fluids; rather it depends strongly on the gradients of the interfacial potential as well. Our results are likely to have potential implications so far as the design of charge modulated microfluidic devices transporting rheologically complex fluids is concerned, such as for mixing and bio-reactive system analysis in lab-on-a-chip-based micro-total-analysis systems handling bio-fluids.