The contributions of hydrodynamics and surface charge to the electrical conductivity of nanochannels

We use Brownian Dynamics to investigate the induced ionic current and electro-osmotic flow in a slit channel by an external electric field. The individual ions are modeled as Brownian particles with Gaussian charges, and interact with each other and the walls of the channel electrostatically, hydrodynamically, and via a steric Lennard-Jones like potential. Our spectral numerical method solves the Stokes equations for the fluid flow together with the Poisson equation for electrostatics to compute the dynamics of the particles. We analyze how the surface charge of the channel walls and electrohydrodynamic flows affect the conductivity of the confined electrolyte solution.