Electro-osmotic and peristaltic transport of a fractional second-grade nanofluid in a synthetic cilia in a tapered asymmetric channel with activation energy and induced magnetic field

The present study investigates the peristalsis characteristics of a fractional second-grade (FSG) nanofluid in a tapered asymmetric channel subjected to the combined influence of electro-osmotic forcing, activation energy, and an induced magnetic field. A constitutive formulation based on the Caputo fractional derivative is employed to capture the intrinsic memory effects and viscoelastic response of the second-grade nanofluid. The channel asymmetry and axial tapering are incorporated into the geometric model to closely represent physiological and microfluidic configurations. The governing nonlinear momentum, energy, and nanoparticle concentration equations are developed by considering under conditions where viscous forces dominate and the wavelength is relatively long, while Maxwell’s equations are utilized with consideration for induced magnetic field arising from fluid-wall interactions. The electro-osmotic potential is described using the Debye–Huckel linearization to characterize the electric double layer behaviour. Activation energy effects are included through an improved Arrhenius-type mass flux model to accurately represent nanoparticle transport mechanisms. Analytical and numerical solutions are derived to examine influence of key physical parameters on velocity, temperature, concentration distributions, and trapping phenomena. The findings provide useful insights for optimizing electro kinetic peristaltic systems in biomedical, physiological, and lab-on-a-chip applications.