title: Zeta-potential measurement using the Smoluchowski equation and the slope of the current-time relationship in electroosmotic flow.
abstract: The zeta -potential of a solid-liquid interface is an important surface characterization quantity for applications ranging from the development of biomedical polymers to the design of microfluidic devices. This study presents a novel experimental technique to measure the zeta -potentials of flat surfaces. This method combines the Smoluchowski equation with the measured slope of current-time relationship in electroosmotic flow. This method is simple and accurate in comparison with the traditional streaming potential and electrophoresis techniques. Using this method the zeta -potentials of glass and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) coated surfaces in KCl and LaCl3 aqueous solutions were measured using several flow channels ranging from 200 to 300 microm in height. The zeta -potential was found to vary from -88 to -66 mV for glass surface and -110 to -68 mV for PDMS surfaces depending on the electrolyte and the ionic concentration. The measured values of the zeta -potential are found to be independent of the channel size and the applied driving voltage and generally are repeatable within +/-6%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G8.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sze
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: Liqing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Dongqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li