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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Merging Ion Concentration Polarization between Juxtaposed Ion Exchange Membranes to Block the Propagation of the Polarization Zone
Published on: February 23, 2017
Effects of constant voltage on time evolution of propagating concentration polarization
Thomas A Zangle1, Ali Mani, Juan G Santiago
1Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Abstract:
We extend the analytical theory of propagating concentration polarization (CP) to describe and compare the effects of constant-voltage versus constant-current conditions on the transient development of CP enrichment and depletion zones. We support our analysis with computational and experimental results. We find that at constant voltage, enrichment and depletion regions spread as t(1/2) as opposed to the previously observed t(1) scaling for constant current conditions. At low, constant voltages, the growth and propagation of CP zones can easily be misinterpreted as nonpropagating behavior.
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