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Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Finite Element Modelling of a Cellular Electric Microenvironment
Published on: May 18, 2021
Generalized balance equations for charged particle transport via localized and delocalized states: Mobility,
Peter W Stokes1, Bronson Philippa2, Daniel Cocks1
1College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
Abstract:
A generalized phase-space kinetic Boltzmann equation for highly nonequilibrium charged particle transport via localized and delocalized states is used to develop continuity, momentum, and energy balance equations, accounting explicitly for scattering, trapping and detrapping, and recombination loss processes. Analytic expressions detail the effect of these microscopic processes on mobility and diffusivity. Generalized Einstein relations (GER) are developed that enable the anisotropic nature of diffusion to be determined in terms of the measured field dependence of the mobility. Interesting phenomena such as negative differential conductivity and recombination heating and cooling are shown to arise from recombination loss processes and the localized and delocalized nature of transport. Fractional transport emerges naturally within this framework through the appropriate choice of divergent mean waiting time distributions for localized states, and fractional generalizations of the GER and mobility are presented. Signature impacts on time-of-flight current transients of recombination loss processes via both localized and delocalized states are presented.
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