Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 13: Solid-liquid interfaces: Reactions and electrochemistry I
O 13.9: Talk
Monday, March 9, 2026, 17:00–17:15, TRE/PHYS
Electro-osmotic Flow in Nano-capillaries via Optical Imaging and I/V Measurements: Influence of different salts and concentrations — •Aleksei Overchenko1, Simon Brauburger2, Frank Cichos1, and Ulrich Keyser2 — 1Leipzig University, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Linnéstr. 5, 04103 Leipzig — 2University of Cambridge, Cavendish Laboratory, JJ Thomson Ave
Electro-osmotic flow (EOF) is of great interest in solid-state nanopores (SSNPs) due to its ability to pump, mix, and separate fluids in micro- and nanofluidic devices without mechanical components. However, EOF remains insufficiently explored at the nanoscale. Although KCl, NaCl, and LiCl are the most commonly used salts for driving matter through nanopores, no systematic qualitative or quantitative study has yet evaluated how different ions and concentrations affect EOF magnitude in nanopores.
We investigated the influence of various salts and their concentrations (10 mM to 1 M) on EOF behavior in 100 nm SiO2 glass capillaries. Flow visualization was performed using dark-field optical microscopy with simultaneous I/V measurements via a custom-designed flow cell. Tracer particles included 250 nm polystyrene and AuNPs.
This study provides higher spatial resolution and more detailed characterization of EOF than previously reported, offering new insights into nanoscale behavior. Understanding EOF under different ionic conditions is essential for future applications, including controlled manipulation of single DNA molecules and proteins.
Keywords: Electro-osmotic flow; Nanocapillary; I/V; Dark field