FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE WITH A SURFACE-CHARGED PARTICLE IN A NANO-CHANNEL: QUASI-STEADY MODELING

A Resistive Pulse Sensor (RPS) is a device for counting and characterizing small particles by recording the electrical current change (negative pulse) during the translocation of the particle through a small pore. RPS is now widely used to characterize various micro/nano size particles, including bio-particles, proteins, and DNA. This paper presents a comprehensive multi-physical model of RPS. The model involves a coupled system of the Navier-Stokes equation for flow field, the Nernst-Planck equation for electrolyte ion concentrations, and the Poisson equation for electrical field. The model is used to simulate the quasi-steady flow of electrolyte with a fixed surface charged particle in a micro/nano-channel connecting two reservoirs. The channel and reservoir are assumed to be cylindrical and a 2-D axial-symmetry system is used. The model predicts the flow and electric fields as well as the distribution of the ion concentrations in the channel. The effects of Electrical Double Layer (EDL) on the electric current change through the channel are then investigated. Conditions for the electric current change (positive and negative pulses) are then identified.