Transverse electrokinetic and microfluidic effects in micropatterned channels: lubrication analysis for slab geometries.

Off-diagonal (transverse) effects in micropatterned geometries are predicted and analyzed within the general frame of linear-response theory, relating applied pressure gradient and electric field to flow and electric current. These effects could contribute to the design of pumps, mixers, or flow detectors. Shape and charge-density modulations are proposed as a means to obtain sizeable transverse effects, as demonstrated by focusing on simple geometries and using the lubrication approximation.