Mathematical Model for the Electrokinetic Instability of Electrolyte Flow

We study a one-dimensional model of the dilute aqueous solution of KCl in the electric field. Our model is based on a set of Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations and includes the incompressible fluid velocity as a parameter. We demonstrate instability of the linear electric potential variation for the uniform ion distribution and compare analytical results with numerical solutions. The developed model successfully describes the stability loss of the steady state solution and demonstrates the emerging of spatially non-uniform distribution of the electric potential. However, this model should be generalized by accounting for the convective movement via the addition of the Navier-Stokes equations in order to substantially extend its application field.