A Predictive Model for Convective Flows Induced by Surface Reactivity Contrast

Abstract

Concentration gradients in a fluid along a reactive surface due to contrast in surface reactivity generate convective flows. These flows result from contributions by electro and diffusio osmotic phenomena. In this study we have analyzed reactive patterns that release and consume protons, analogous to bimetallic catalytic conversion of peroxide. Here, we present a simple analytical model that accurately predicts the induced potentials and consequent velocities in such systems over a wide range of input parameters. Our model is tested against direct numerical solutions to the coupled Poisson, Nernst-Planck, and Navier-Stokes equations. Our analysis can be used to predict enhancement of mass transport and the resulting impact on overall catalytic conversion, and is also applicable to predicting the speed of catalytic nanomotors.

References in corpus (5)

• Propulsion of a molecular machine by asymmetric distribution of reaction--products
• Induced-Charge Electro-Osmosis
• Locomotion of Electrocatalytic Nanomotors due to Reaction Induced Charge Auto-Electrophoresis
• Microfluidic Pumping by Micromolar Salt Concentrations
• The Efficiency of Self-Phoretic Propulsion Mechanisms with Surface Reaction Heterogeneity

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Flow-induced surface charge heterogeneity in electrokinetics due to Stern-layer conductance coupled to reaction kinetics
• Self-generated electrokinetic flows from active-charged boundary patterns
• Hydrodynamic Stokes flow induced by a chemically active patch imprinted on a planar wall