Design Aspects and Simulations of a Modified Micro-Scale Electrophoretron

Abstract

This paper presents theoretical analysis and numerical simulations of a modified micro-scale electrophoretron previously realized on the macro-scale by Choi et al. (2001)1 and adapted here for cycling reaction applications (e.g. PCR, LDR). A window of operation in the device's design parameter space is determined using simple analytical solutions for electrokinetic flow with induced pressure gradients. Numerical simulations, including the effect of bends, electrodes and surface property discontinuities as pertinent to a physical implementation of the device, verify the expected behavior in a rectangular channel loop. The numerical results are used to provide insights to flow phenomena influencing the operation of the device and the dispersion of charged species.