(18i) A Unified Model to Predict Electrophoresis in Porous Media and Free Electrolytes

Electrophoresis is the deterministic motion of a colloid induced by an electric field. Current theories of electrophoresis have focused either on in a free concentrated electrolyte in the absence of porous media, or porous media saturated with a dilute electrolyte. A predictive model for electrophoresis in porous media saturated with a concentrated electrolyte is lacking. Here, we develop a mathematical model to compute the electrophoretic mobility of a colloid in porous media saturated with a concentrated electrolyte. We validate the model with experiments. We analyze how the physical properties of the colloid, the electrolyte, and the porous media affect the electrophoretic motion of the colloid. The present model can be used to understand and predict electrophoresis in a wide range of applications, including gel electrophoresis, nanoparticle drug delivery, and soil remediation.