Electrokinetic instability micromixer

An electrokinetic stirring method for rapid mixing of an initially heterogeneous solution whose motion is dominated by viscous forces, said method comprising the acts of:

• providing a fluidic network having a plurality of ports including at least two inlet ports and one outlet port, and a plurality of liquid channels connecting said plurality of ports;
• positioning two electrodes into ends of said liquid channels wherein said ends also act as inlet and outlet ports for said fluidic network;
• introducing small volume liquid streams into said fluidic network via said inlet ports wherein said liquid streams are characterized as confluent and wherein said confluent liquid streams form said initially heterogeneous solution;
• introducing an alternating current (A/C) electric field into said fluidic network via said electrodes;
• and
• inducing an electrokinetic flow instability (EKI) in said initially heterogeneous solution with said A/C electric field, wherein said EKI, generated within a few seconds after application of said A/C electric field, essentially confined to a mixing chamber, and acting as an active stirring means, quickly produces a randomly fluctuating, three-dimensional fluid flow field enabling said rapid mixing thereby generating a homogeneous solution from said initially heterogeneous solution.