Rotating electroosmotic flow in a non-uniform microchannel

An analytical model based on lubrication approximation is developed for rotating electroosmotic flow in a narrow slit channel, of which the wall shape and surface potential may vary slowly in the direction of applied fields. The primary and secondary flow fields and the induced pressure gradient, which vary periodically with axial position owing to the gradually varied channel height and surface potentials, are deduced as functions of the inverse Ekman number and the Debye parameter. By studying some limiting cases of special interest, the combined effects of system rotation and the interaction between the geometrical and potential variations are investigated. It is shown that non-uniformity in the channel height and wall potential can qualitatively modify the relationship between system rotation and the primary and secondary flow rates.