Diffusioosmosis of electrolyte solutions in a capillary slit with adsorbed polyelectrolyte layers.

A theoretical study is presented for the steady diffusioosmotic flow of an electrolyte solution in a fine capillary slit with each of its inside walls coated with a layer of polyelectrolytes generated by an imposed tangential concentration gradient. In this solvent-permeable and ion-penetrable surface charge layer, idealized polyelectrolyte segments are assumed to be distributed at a uniform density. The electric double layer and the surface charge layer may have arbitrary thicknesses relative to the gap width between the slit walls. The Poisson-Boltzmann equation and a modified Navier-Stokes/Brinkman equation are solved numerically to obtain the electrostatic potential, dynamic pressure, tangentially induced electric field, and fluid velocity as functions of the lateral position in the slit in a self-consistent way, with the constraint of no net electric current arising from the cocurrent diffusion, electric migration, and diffusioosmotic convection of the electrolyte ions. The existence of the surface charge layers can lead to a diffusioosmotic flow quite different from that in a capillary with bare walls. The effect of the lateral distribution of the induced tangential electric field and the relaxation effect due to ionic convection in the slit on the diffusioosmotic flow are found to be very significant in practical situations.