Transition from periodic to chaotic AC electroosmotic flows near electric double layer

Electroosmotic flows (EOFs) on insulated interfacial surface commonly exists as interfacial flows. Previously theoretical studies indicate that EOFs of Newtonian fluids on the insulated interfacial surface are steady in microchannels with symmetric zeta potentials (Suresh and Homsy, Physics of Fluids, 2004, 16, 2,349). Restricted by flow diagnostic methods in microfluidics, few velocity measurements of instantaneous EOFs have been reported, and the existence of unsteady EOFs on the insulated surface remains unclear. In this investigation, the velocity fluctuations of EOFs generated under AC electric field (named as ACFEOF) overlapped on a steady pressure-driven flow are measured by laser induced fluorescence photobleaching anemometer, at the diffuse electric double layer (EDL) on the bottom wall far from electrodes. Chaotic velocity fluctuations according to unsteady ACFEOF has been, for the first time, observed. Stokes number (St) and electrical Reynolds number (Re-E) related to oscillation and electro-inertial effect are suggested to control chaotic ACFEOF.

Automated summary

In this study, chaotic velocity fluctuations of electroosmotic flows (EOFs) generated under AC electric field (ACFEOF) were observed for the first time using laser induced fluorescence photobleaching anemometer, suggesting that Stokes number (St) and electrical Reynolds number (Re-E) play a role in controlling chaotic ACFEOF.