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The influence of temperature on the electrophoresis of a spherical, pH-regulated polyelectrolyte (PE) particle having both acidic and basic functional groups in an aqueous salt solution containing multiple ionic species is investigated theoretically. The type of particle considered simulates entities including proteins, biomolecules, and synthetic polymers. The applicability of the model proposed is verified by the experimental data of succinoglycan nanoparticles reported in the literature. Taking a glycin PE as an example, the variations of its mobility with the temperature, bulk salt concentration, and pH are examined through numerical simulation. Empirical relationships that correlate the mobility with these factors are obtained for temperature, bulk salt concentration, and pH ranging from 293 to 308 K, 10(-4) to 10(-2) M, and 2-10.5, respectively. Several interesting and important results for the PE mobility are observed. These results provide not only valuable information for interpreting experimental data but also for designing electrophoresis devices where temperature can play a role., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

We derived analytical expressions for the pH-regulated electroosmotic flow in a microchannel for arbitrary level of surface potential and type of electrolyte solution; previous results are almost always based on the conditions of low, constant surface potential, which are inaccurate and unrealistic. In addition, an analytical expression for the dependence of the surface potential on the electrolyte concentration and solution pH is obtained, which is capable of explaining the behavior of the empirical relation used in the literature. The analytical results derived are readily applicable to further electrokinetic analyses, and to interpret experimental observations and/or design devices involving electroosmosis such as biosensors and lab-on-a-chip., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The diffusiophoresis of a polyelectrolyte subject to an applied salt concentration gradient is modeled theoretically. The entirely porous type of particle is capable of simulating entities such as DNA, protein, and synthetic polymeric particles. The dependence of the diffusiophoretic behavior of the polyelectrolyte on its physical properties, and the types of ionic species and their bulk concentrations are discussed in detail. We show that in addition to the effects coming from the polarization of double layer and the difference in the ionic diffusivities, the polarization of the condensed counterions inside the polyelectrolyte might also be significant. The last effect, which has not been reported previously, reduces both the electric force and the hydrodynamic force acting on the polyelectrolyte. Both the direction and the magnitude of the diffusiophoretic velocity of the polyelectrolyte are found to highly depend upon its physical properties. These results provide valuable references for applications such as DNA sequencing and catalytic nano- or micromotors., (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In this work, an elementary, novel dissimilarly charged protrusions (DCP) surface model in an electrolyte solution considering simultaneously the complexity of both surface morphology and surface charged condition, which are concerned frequently on a biological cell membrane, on a modified micro-particle surface, or in a lab-on-a-chip biosensor device, is proposed. Based on Fourier series and the perturbation technique, the configuration of electrical double layer (EDL) near this complicated charged surface model is successfully solved semi-analytically. The numerical calculation reveals that, the methodology suggested in present study could deal with charged surface systems of arbitrary geography and of arbitrary charge distribution. In the analysis, three special subjects are discussed, including an isolated dissimilarly charged protrusion, the effect of protrusions, and the effect of dissimilarly charged condition on protrusions., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The electrophoresis of a non-conducting rigid toroid in an unbounded Newtonian electrolyte solution having an arbitrary orientation is modeled theoretically under the condition of low surface potential. In particular, the influence of the orientation angle, defined as the angle between the applied electric field and the center line of the toroid, on its electrophoretic behavior as the thickness of double layer varies is investigated. The results of numerical simulation reveal that both the thickness of double layer and the orientation angle can influence appreciably the mobility of the toroid. In general, for a fixed orientation, the mobility of the toroid increases with decreasing double layer thickness, and for a fixed double layer thickness, the scaled electrophoresis mobility increases with increasing orientation angle. If the double layer is infinitely thin, then the present result reduces to that predicted by Smoluchowski, that is, the scaled electrophoretic mobility of the toroid is unity, and is not influenced by its shape. On the other hand, if it is infinitely thick, then the present result follows the same trend as that predicted by Henry, that is, the electrophoretic mobility of the toroid depends highly on its form effect, and the thicker the double layer the smaller that mobility. If the thickness of double layer is comparable to the radius of a toroid, the variation in the orientation angle can lead to as much as 40% difference in the mobility., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Approximate analytical expressions for the electrical potential of planar, cylindrical, and spherical surfaces are derived for the case in which the dispersion medium contains counterions only. On the basis of the results for single surfaces, those for two identical surfaces can be derived. The curvature effect of a surface on the electrical potential distribution can be neglected when the order of its radius exceeds approximately 100 times the thickness of the corresponding double layer. If this effect needs to be considered, it can be taken into account by multiplying a correction function by the electrical potential of a planar surface. The electrical potential at the center between two derived surfaces is readily applicable to the evaluation of the electrostatic force per unit area between two surfaces, or the osmotic pressure. For the same set of parameters, the magnitudes of the osmotic pressure for various types of surfaces rank as follows: planar surface > cylindrical surfaces > spherical surfaces.

High coulombic efficiency and dendrite suppression in carbonate electrolytes remain challenges to the development of high-energy lithium ion batteries containing lithium metal anodes. Here we demonstrate an ultrathin (≤100 nm) lithium-ion ionomer membrane consisting of lithium-exchanged sulfonated polyether ether ketone embedded with polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane as a coating layer on copper or lithium for achieving efficient and stable lithium plating-stripping cycles in a carbonate-based electrolyte. Operando analyses and theoretical simulation reveal the remarkable ability of the ionomer coating to enable electric field homogenization over a considerably large lithium-plating surface. The membrane coating, serving as an artificial solid-electrolyte interphase filter in minimizing parasitic reactions at the electrolyte-electrode interface, enables dendrite-free lithium plating on copper with outstanding coulombic efficiencies at room and elevated (50 °C) temperatures. The membrane coated copper demonstrates itself as a promising current collector for manufacturing high-quality pre-plated lithium thin-film anode. The authors here report an ultrathin ionomer membrane as an artificial solid-electrolyte interphase filter that minimizes parasitic reactions and enables stable dendrite-free lithium plating-stripping cycles in a carbonate-based electrolyte. The protected anodes exhibit outstanding coulombic efficiencies at room and elevated (50 °C) temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The electrophoresis of a rigid, finite cylindrical particle along the axis of a long cylindrical pore is analyzed theoretically under the conditions of arbitrary surface potential and double-layer thickness. The effects of double-layer polarization and electroosmotic flow on the electrophoretic behavior of the particle are discussed. We show that if both the particle and the pore are positively charged, the mobility of the particle has a local minimum as the thickness of double layer varies. Also, if the level of the surface potential of the particle is sufficiently high and its aspect ratio is sufficiently large, then its mobility may change its sign twice as the thickness of double layer (or the concentration of electrolytes) varies. These findings are of practical significance in designing an electrophoresis operation because it will influence the prediction of the charged conditions on a particle if electrophoresis is used as an analytical tool, and the separation efficiency, if it is adopted as a separation technique. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ionic separation efficiency of a novel membrane module comprising an array of microchannel units is analyzed. Under the Debye–Hückel approximation, we derive a semianalytical expression for the ionic separation efficiency. Analyses reveal that the effects of the size of the microchannel, the fixed charge density in the membrane layer, and the permittivity of the membrane layer on ionic separation efficiency depend strongly on the valence type of electrolyte in treated water. Under the condition of a symmetric electrolyte, the ionic separation efficiency is found to be about unity and unresponsive to variation of system parameters. If the valence of the cation is higher than that of the anion, the ionic separation efficiency is larger than unity, and decreases to unity as the size of the microchannel increases. In contrast, if the valence of the cation is lower than that of the anion, the ionic separation efficiency is smaller than unity and increases to unity as the size of the microchannel increases. Under the latter two conditions, the effects of both fixed charge density in the membrane layer and permittivity of the membrane layer on the ionic separation efficiency are found to be reversed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The electrokinetic flow of an electrolyte solution through an elliptical microchannel is studied theoretically. The system under consideration simulates the flow of a fluid, for example, in vein. We show that, for a constant cross-sectional area, both the electroosmotic volumetric flow rate and the streaming potential increase monotonically with an increase in the aspect ratio, and both the total electric current and the electroviscous effect may exhibit a local minimum as the aspect ratio varies. Also, for a constant average potential on the channel wall, the difference between the results based on three kinds of boundary conditions, which include constant surface charge, constant surface potential, and charge-regulated surface, is inappreciable if the hydraulic diameter is larger than 1 μm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Extending previous analyses on rigid particles to non-rigid ones, we model the diffusiophoresis of a pH-regulated polyelectrolyte (PE) in a solution containing multiple ionic species. For the first time, the effects of temperature, pH, type of ionic species and bulk concentration are taken into account, and therefore, the conditions considered are more comprehensive and closer to reality than those of the available results in the literature. Numerical simulation is conducted to examine the diffusiophoretic behaviors of a PE under various conditions, and empirical relationships are developed for the dependence of its mobility on the factors mentioned above. We show that temperature and pH influence appreciably the charged conditions of a PE, the ionic diffusivities, and the fluid viscosity, yielding complicated and interesting behaviors that are informative to device design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weconsider the electrophoresis of a rigid sphere along the axis of anarrow cylindrical capillary; both are pH-regulated and zwitterionic.This extends available analyses in the literature to a more generaland realistic case. Adopting a titanium oxide (TiO2) particlein a silicon dioxide (SiO2) capillary as an example, weexamine the capillary radius, the solution pH, and the electrolyteconcentration (or double-layer thickness) for their influences onthe electrophoretic behavior of a particle. Because the pH solutionis adjusted by HCl and NaOH, the presence of four kinds of ionic species,namely, H+, OH–, Na+, andCl–, should be considered if NaCl is the backgroundelectrolyte. This also extends conventional electrophoresis analysesto the case of multiple ionic species. The interactions of the electroosmoticflow, the properties of the particle and the solution, and the capillarywall yield complicated electrophoretic behavior that can be regulatedby the solution pH and the background electrolyte concentration. Theresults gathered are necessary for the future design of nanopore-basedelectrophoresis devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]