A Simple Microfluidic Device to Mitigate the Effect of Faradaic Reactions in Cross-Stream Particle Migration in DC-Electrokinetics

Direct-current (DC) electrokinetics in microfluidic channels is inherently affected by Faradaic reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interfaces, which induce local changes in pH and conductivity and, consequently, alter particle behavior. In this work, we present a simple microfluidic T-junction device designed to mitigate these effects by continuously flushing the regions near the electrodes with fresh electrolyte, thereby preserving the physicochemical properties of the main channel. Using fluorescence imaging with a pH-sensitive dye and electrical resistance measurements, we demonstrate that electrolyte acidification caused by water electrolysis can be effectively suppressed when advection overcomes electromigration of H⁺ ions. Order-of-magnitude estimates based on ion transport reveal that this condition is achieved when the flow velocity exceeds the characteristic electromigration velocity. We further investigate the effect of Faradaic reactions on cross-stream particle migration in electrophoresis experiments by quantifying the separation between suspended particles and the channel walls. We find that the particle-wall separation is significantly larger when electrolyte modifications are suppressed, clearly demonstrating the influence of Faradaic reactions on this phenomenon. Our results show that minimizing electrolyte modifications leads to a significantly enhanced particle-wall separation, highlighting the strong influence of Faradaic reactions on electrokinetic outcomes. These findings emphasize the importance of controlling electrochemical effects in DC electrokinetics and provide a simple and robust strategy to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of microfluidic electrophoresis experiments.