Electrokinetics: it’s in their genes

Work carried out in the Soviet Union 30 years ago by the father-and-son team of Stanislav and Andrei Dukhin now has implications in nanotechnology and microfluidics.

Because they don’t delve into the fundamental theories of electrokinetics very often, few analytical chemists instantly recognize the names of Stanislav Dukhin and his son Andrei. Some may vaguely recollect seeing a dimensionless number, the Dukhin number (Du), in research papers, but that’s about it. But analytical chemists freely take advantage of electroosmosis (the electrokinetic flow around stationary surfaces) and electrophoresis (the electrokinetic motion of freely suspended particles), for which the Dukhins helped lay down the theoretical foundations.

In their research, the two men focused on the behavior of colloidal systems which, upon cursory examination, seem to have a tenuous connection to microfluidics and nanotechnology. But Juan Santiago of Stanford University says, “Stanislav Dukhin’s seminal work is of extreme importance. He developed a wide range of theories and principles which are directly relevant to microfluidics today.” And his son’s contributions are equally important: “Andrei’s work is extremely relevant to micro- and nanofluidic systems, as it provides a fundamental framework for a wide range of phenomena,” states Santiago. The ability to explain electrokinetics seems to be ingrained in the Dukhin genes.

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