In this work, a numerical method is proposed to predict the electrokinetic phenomena and combined with an experimental study of the surface charge density (${\rho }_{\mathrm{s}}$) and zeta potential ($\mathrm{\zeta })$ behavior is investigated for borosilicate immersed in KCl and NaCl electrolytes, and for imogolite immersed in KCl, CaCl₂, and MgCl₂ electrolytes. Simulations and experiments of the electrokinetic flows with electrolyte solutions were performed to accurately determine the electric double layer (EDL), $\mathrm{\zeta }$, and ${\rho }_{\mathrm{s}}$ at various electrolyte concentrations and pH. The zeta potential was experimentally determined and numerically predicted by solving the coupled governing equations of mass, species, momentum, and electrical field iteratively. Our numerical prediction shows that $\mathrm{\zeta }$ for borosilicate develops strong nonlinear behavior with the ion concentration following a power-law. Likewise, the ${\rho }_{\mathrm{s}}$ obeys a nonlinear behavior, decreasing as the concentration increases. Moreover, for imogolite, both $\mathrm{\zeta }$ and the ${\rho }_{\mathrm{s}}$ behave nonlinearly with the pH. The EDL for borosilicate and imogolite becomes thinner as the electrolyte concentration and pH increase; this behavior is caused by increased ${\rho }_{\mathrm{s}}$, resulting in the higher attraction of the free charges. The reported nonlinear behavior describes more accurately the interaction of the nanoparticle surface charge with the electrolytes and its effect on the electrolyte transport properties.

A mild two-step method of black phosphorus (BP) flake thinning was demonstrated in this article. Slight ultraviolet–ozone (UVO) radiation followed by an argon plasma treatment was employed to oxidize mechanically exfoliated BP flakes and remove the surface remains of previous ozone treatment. The annealing process introduced aims to reduce impurities and defects. Low damage and efficient electronic devices were fabricated in terms of controlling the thickness of BP flakes through this method. These results lead to an important step toward the fabrication of high-performance devices based on two-dimensioned materials.