摘要：Microfluidic chips are miniaturized analytical devices used in chemical,
biological and medical applications. In most cases, fluids are conducted
through microchannels by applying electric potentials and/or pressure
gradients. This growing lab-on-a-chip technology requires
numerical simulations to assist the design, control and optimization of
analytical manipulations. The present work deals with FEM-based calculations
of the dynamics of electrolyte solutions in cross-shaped microchannels, where
the flow is driven by the action of external electric fields. A
theoretical modeling of electrokinetic and transport phenomena in the system
is carried out in the framework of continuum fluid mechanics. Calculations
ground on conservation equations of mass, momentum and electrical charge,
considering effects in three dimensions. Operations normally performed in
analytical systems are discussed, such as loading, focusing, and injection of
samples. Numerical simulations carried out in this work can be a valuable
tool to control and optimize practical manipulations in microfluidic chips.
