ADVANCES IN THE RESEARCH OF ELECTROOSMOTIC FLOWS IN MICRO/NANOFLUIDIC SYSTEMS

Micro/nanofluidicsystem is an interdisciplinary research frontier associated withfluid mechanics, biology, chemistry, electricity and heattransfer, and electroosmosis is one of the most importantfoundamental problems associated with fluid mechanics inmicro/nanofluidic system. With rapid advances in micro/nanofluidicsystem a variety of electroosmosis phenomena, especially innona-scale, has attracted great attentions in academic sector.Electric double layer and electroosmotic flows play an importantrole in functional analysis and optimal design ofmicro/nanofluidic chips. To provide a brief review inmicro/nanofluidic field this paper presents respectivelyfoundamental principle of electric double layer andelectroosmosis, current research hotspot and latest prograsses inmicro/nanofluidic systems. Based on colloidal and interfacetheory, continuum model of fluid mechanics and numericalsimulation of multi-physics interaction this paper reviews currenthotspots associated with electroosmotic flows in micro/nanofluidicsystems, such as Joule heating effects, reverse ionic effects,double-fluid transport, AC electroosmosis, periodical fluidtransport, field-modulating electric double layer andelectroosmosis controlling. Finaly, a brief review is given formeasurement methodologies of electroosmosis in micro/nanofluidicsystems.