Conceptual Designs
Pressure driven flow is pumped through a membrane containing nanopores.
An electrical double layer is formed due to the charge of the wall, creating a stream of ions that generates a current.
The charged walls of the nanochannels in the AAO wafer create an electric double layer.
Some of the ions in the fluid stick to the walls of the nanochannels. The rest of the ions flow through the nanochannels. This creates a potential difference between the beginning and end of the channels.
Fig 2 is taken from [Nano- and microfluidic channels as electrokinetic sensors
and energy harvesting devices
Pál Árki, Christine Hecker, Frederic Güth, Yvonne Joseph 1
1 Institute of Electronic and Sensor Materials, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg,
Gustav-Zeuner-Str. 3. D-09599, Freiberg, Germany