Phenomenon · phenomenon:streaming-potential
Streaming potential
Pressure-driven flow of an electrolyte through a charged channel drags the diffuse counter-ion layer along and produces a potential difference between inlet and outlet.
Atlas record: 10 claims reference this phenomenon — 4 established, 4 demonstrated and 2 replicated.
Explorerelations · matrix context · routes · sources · cite
conditions: aqueous medium required · bulk flow required
10claims60enumerated routes3routes with complete-composition evidence20candidate routes not searched7cited sources
Relations
drives · 3
- the produced liquid flow passes a charged surface or through a charged channel; the charged boundary is a condition of the step
- not something the upstream flow provides
- electrolyte forced through a channel with charged walls; efficiency peaks when the Debye length is comparable to the channel width
- flow past a charged surface
produces · 1
couples to · 1
- a charged, ion-selective nanochannel or nanoporous membrane contains an electrolyte
- a sustained temperature difference drives thermo-osmotic liquid motion along the charged interface
- electrical-double-layer counter-ions are preferentially transported by that flow
- no external electrical bias is required for the measured short-circuit current
- pressure-driven current is absent, negligible or separately controlled when the thermo-driven contribution is attributed
One physical experiment (Zhao et al. 2020): a track-etched polyimide membrane between hot and cold reservoirs gave a streaming current rising linearly with ΔT to 14 nA at 47.5 °C over 0.5 cm², direction set by the surface charge (pH). One paper is demonstrated, not established.
member of · 1
implemented by · 3
governed by · 1
- streaming current and electro-osmosis are reciprocal
Matrix context
D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.
Enumerated routes through this · 60 (showing 24)
- Electrokinetic microchannel generator3/3 est · demonstrated
- Thermo-driven nanofluidic electrokinetic converter3/4 est · demonstrated
- Thermal-osmosis electrokinetic generator5/5 est · demonstrated
- Bulk fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work3/3 est · candidate
- Thermocapillary streaming-potential generator (proposed)5/5 est · candidate
- Temperature gradient → Marangoni effect → Fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work4/5 est · candidate
- Temperature gradient → Marangoni effect → Pressure gradient → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work4/5 est · weakly supported
- Temperature gradient → Thermomagnetic convection → Fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/5 est · candidate
- Bulk fluid flow → Ocean wave motion → Pressure gradient → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/5 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Solutocapillary streaming-potential generator (proposed)5/5 est · candidate
- Surface energy difference → Marangoni effect → Fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work4/5 est · candidate
- Surface energy difference → Marangoni effect → Pressure gradient → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work4/5 est · weakly supported
- Gravitational potential difference → Gravitational descent of fluid → Bulk fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/5 est · candidate
- Gravitational potential difference → Tidal flow → Bulk fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/5 est · candidate
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Thermo-osmosis → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/6 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Thermo-osmosis → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/6 est · same energy form
- Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Thermo-osmosis → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/6 est · same energy form
- Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Thermo-osmosis → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/6 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Radiative imbalance with the sky → Radiative sky cooling → Temperature gradient → Thermo-osmosis → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/6 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fission → Temperature gradient → Thermo-osmosis → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work5/6 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fusion → Temperature gradient → Thermo-osmosis → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work3/6 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Hot gas → Gas-dynamic expansion → Bulk fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Marangoni effect → Fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work7/7 est · candidate
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Marangoni effect → Fluid flow → Streaming potential → Ionic current → Electrical work6/7 est · candidate
Cited sources · 7
- [1]J. Yang et al.. Electrokinetic microchannel battery by means of electrokinetic and microfluidic phenomena (2003)
- [2]R. J. Hunter. Zeta Potential in Colloid Science: Principles and Applications (1981)
- [3]S. R. de Groot, P. Mazur. Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics (1962)
- [4]X. Zhao et al.. pH-regulated thermo-driven nanofluidics for nanoconfined mass transport and energy conversion (2020)
- [5]Q. Luo et al.. Utilization of low-grade heat for desalination and electricity generation through thermal osmosis energy conversion process (2023)
- [6]L. Huang et al.. Simultaneous water and electricity harvesting from low-grade heat by coupling a membrane distiller and an electrokinetic power generator (2021)
- [7]J. Yin, et al.. Generating electricity by moving a droplet of ionic liquid along graphene (2014)
Cite this entity
Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). entity phenomenon:streaming-potential: Streaming potential. Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/phenomenon/streaming-potential
Ids and matrix addresses are stable across revisions; the revision hash identifies the exact canonical files the record was compiled from and is meta.data_hash in every /api export. Reuse terms: see the license field in any export.