We have reported several fundamental investigations related to electrokinetric transport. Our primary considerations include the accounting of near wall density variations, excluded volume effects, finite size effects of ions, and complex rheology (including that of liquid crystals on one side and blood on the other) on interfacial electrokinetics. We have analytically investigated thermal transport in ionic solutions as well as bio-fluids in fully developed flows in presence of electrokinetic interactions. We have also extended these studies for addressing thermally developing flows. Extending these considerations further, we have brought out a delicate interplay of the thermophoretic, diffusophoretic, electroviosous and viscoelectric effects in microfluidic channels. We have further proceeded to bring out the unique aspects of electrokinetics with liquid crystals- an issue that has hitherto not been considered in the literature. Recently, we have invented a new technology for combining natural peristalsis with electrical field, to have massive augmentation in pump-free flow. This innovation may be of fundamental interest towards designing lab-on-a-chip devices for flow mixing, cell manipulation, or towards the design of organ-on-a-chip like devices for better drug design.

Based on the fundamental propositions outlined as above, we have developed novel strategies for hydraulic to electrical energy conversion in nanofluidic channels. Recently, our team has developed a miniaturized power plant on a microfluidic chip, based on this principle.

Key References

• S. Chakraborty, “Electrokinetics with Blood”, Electrophoresis, vol. 40, pp. 180-189, 2019
• J. Dhar, S. Chakraborty, “Spontaneous Electrorheological Effect in Nematic Liquid Crystals under Taylor-Couette Flow Configuration”, Physics of Fluids, vol. 29, pp. 092008 (1-15), 2017
• A. Poddar, J. Dhar, S. Chakraborty, “Electroosmosis of nematic liquid crystals under weak anchoring and second-order surface effects”, Physical Review E, vol. 96, 013114 (1-15), 2017
• S. Mukherjee, P. Goswami, J. Dhar, S. DasGupta, S. Chakraborty, “Ion-Size Dependent Electroosmosis of Viscoelastic Fluids in Microfluidic Channels with Interfacial Slip”, Physics of Fluids, vol. 29, pp. 072002(1-11), 2017
• P. Goswami, J. Dhar, U. Ghosh, S. Chakraborty, “Solvent-Mediated Non-Electrostatic Ion-Ion Interactions Predicting Anomalies in Electrophoresis”, Electrophoresis, vol. 38, pp. 712-719, 2017
• A. Bandopadhyay, D. Tripathi, S. Chakraborty, “Electroosmosis-modulated peristaltic transport in microfluidic channels”, Physics of Fluids, vol. 28, pp. 052002 (1-23), 2016
• P. Goswami, J. Chakraborty, A. Bandopadhyay, S. Chakraborty, “Electrokinetically modulated peristaltic transport of power-law fluids”, Microvascular Research, vol. 103, pp. 41-54, 2015
• S. Majumder, J. Dhar, S. Chakraborty, “Resolving Anomalies in Predicting Electrokinetic Energy Conversion Efficiencies of Nanofluidic Devices”, Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group, vol. 5, pp. 14725 (1-12), 2015
• S. Mandal, U. Ghosh, A. Bandopadhyay, S. Chakraborty, “Electro-osmosis of superimposed fluids in presence of modulated charged surfaces in narrow confinements”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 776, pp. 390-429, 2015
• U. Ghosh, S. Chakraborty, “Electroosmosis of Viscoelastic fluids over charge modulated surfaces in narrow confinements”, Physics of Fluids, vol. 27, pp. 062004 (1-20), 2015
• C. Bakli, S. Chakraborty, “Electrokinetic Energy Conversion in Nanofluidic Channels: Addressing the Loose Ends in Nanodevice Efficiency”, Electrophoresis, vol. 36, pp. 675-681, 2014
• A. Bandopadhyay, S. S. Hossain, S. Chakraborty, “Ionic size dependent electroviscous effects in ion-selective nanopores”, Langmuir, vol. 30, pp. 7251−7258, 2014
• J. Dhar, U. Ghosh, S. Chakraborty, “Alterations in Streaming Potential in Presence of Time Periodic Pressure-Driven Flow of a Power law Fluid in Narrow Confinements with Non-Electrostatic Ion-Ion Interactions”, Electrophoresis, vol. 35, pp. 662-669, 2014
• A. Bandopadhyay, J. Dhar, S. Chakraborty, “Effects of solvent-mediated nonelectrostatic ion-ion interactions on streaming potential in microchannels and nanochannels”, Physical Review E, vol. 88, pp. 033014 (1-10), 2013
• K. Chaudhury, U. Ghosh, S. Chakraborty, “Substrate wettability induced alterations in convective heat transfer characteristics in microchannel flows: An order parameter approach”, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 67, pp. 1083-1095, 2013
• T. Ghonge, J. Chakraborty, R. Dey, S. Chakraborty, “Electrohydrodynamics within the electrical double layer in the presence of finite temperature gradients”, Physical Review E, vol. 88, pp. 053020 (1-12), 2013
• R. Chakraborty, R. Dey, S. Chakraborty, “Thermal characteristics of electromagnetohydrodynamic flows in narrow channels with viscous dissipation and Joule heating under constant wall heat flux”, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 67, pp. 1151-1162, 2013
• R. Dey, T. Ghonge, S. Chakraborty, “Steric-effect-induced alteration of thermal transport phenomenon for mixed electroosmotic and pressure driven flows through narrow confinements”, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 56, pp. 251-262, 2013
• J. Chakraborty, R. Dey, S. Chakraborty, “Consistent accounting of steric effects for prediction of streaming potential in narrow confinements”, Physical Review E, vol. 86, pp. 061504 (1-5), 2012
• D. Pal, S. Chakraborty, “Spatially uniform microflows induced by thermoviscous expansion along a traveling temperature wave: Analogies with electro-osmotic transport”, Physical Review E, vol. 86, pp. 016321 (1-9), 2012
• H. Yavari, A. Sadeghi, M. H. Saidi, S. Chakraborty, “Combined influences of viscous dissipation, non-uniform Joule heating and variable thermophysical properties on convective heat transfer in microtubes”, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 55, pp. 762-772, 2012
• R. Dey, D. Chakraborty, S. Chakraborty, “Analytical Solution for Thermally Fully Developed Combined Electroosmotic and Pressure-Driven Flows in Narrow Confinements With Thick Electrical Double Layers”, Trans. ASME, Journal of Heat Transfer, vol. 133, pp. 024503(1-5), 2010
• S. Das and S. Chakraborty, “Analytical Solutions for Velocity, Temperature and Concentration Distribution in Electroosmotic Microchannel Flows of a Non-Newtonian Bio-fluid”, Analytica Chimica Acta, vol. 559, pp. 15-24, 2006
• S. Chakraborty, “Analytical Solutions of Nusselt number for Thermally Fully Developed Flow in Microtubes under a combined action of Electroosmotic forces and imposed Pressure Gradients”, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 49, pp. 810-813, 2006