Relaxation characteristics of a compliant microfluidic channel under electroosmotic flow

Abstract

We investigate the effect of electroosmotic flow on the temporal response of an initially deformed microfluidic channel wall as it relaxes to its undeformed state. Our results reveal that the electrokinetic effects significantly alter not just the quantitative response of the relaxation dynamics but also the qualitative nature of the relaxation profiles. Furthermore, the electrokinetics brings about a preferential asymmetry to the nature of the dynamical evolution of the relaxation characteristics. Overall, we unveil a rich interplay between the pertinent physico-chemical interactions, the compliance of the deformable channel walls and the geometry of the fluidic confinement, bearing non-trivial consequences towards optimal control of electroosmotic flow in narrow channels with deformable confining boundaries.