Electrokinetics is the science of electrical charges in moving substances, such as water. It studies particle motion which is the direct result of applied electric fields.
Electrokinetics covers Electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis, electro-osmosis, and electrorotation.
In October 2003, the University of Alberta reveals a new method of generating electric power by exploiting the natural electrokinetic properties of a liquid such as ordinary tap water, by pumping fluids through tiny microchannels. A team of researchers and students, led by Dr. Daniel Kwok and Dr. Larry Kostiuk, has created a new source of clean, non-polluting electric power with a variety of possible uses, ranging from powering small electronic devices such as cell phones to contributing to a national power grid. This technology could provide a new power source for devices such as mobile phones or calculators which could be charged up by pumping water to high pressure.
Kwok explained how, when water travels over a surface, the ions that it is made up of "rub" against the solid, leaving the surface slightly charged. Although the power generated from a single channel is extremely small, millions of parallel channels can be used to increase the power output.Water electrokinetics
