Brownian motion-induced water slip inside carbon nanotubes

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Chao Chen (1) (2) (3)
  Luming Shen (2)
  Ming Ma (4)
  Jefferson Zhe Liu (5)
  Quanshui Zheng (1) (3)
  
• 关键词：One ; dimensional Brownian motion ; Nanoscale flow ; Liquid slip ; Carbon nanotubes ; Molecular dynamics
• 刊名：Microfluidics and Nanofluidics
• 出版年：2014
• 出版时间：January 2014
• 年：2014
• 卷：16
• 期：1-2
• 页码：305-313
• 全文大小：809 KB
• 作者单位：Chao Chen (1) (2) (3)
  Luming Shen (2)
  Ming Ma (4)
  Jefferson Zhe Liu (5)
  Quanshui Zheng (1) (3)
  
  1. Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
  2. School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
  3. Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
  4. Department of Chemistry, London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
  5. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
  
• ISSN：1613-4990

文摘

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to understand the characteristics of the one-dimensional Brownian motion of water columns inside carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at room temperature. It is found that the probability of 2-0-nm-long water columns sliding a distance larger than the energy barrier period inside 2--nm-diameter CNTs is greater than 50?%. Moreover, a conservative estimation gives that the thermal fluctuation-induced driving force exceeds the upper bound of the sliding energy barrier for a water column shorter than 117?nm. These findings imply that although water molecules form layered structures near the CNT inner walls, there is no critical interfacial shear stress to conquer, and water could slip inside CNTs under any given pressure drop due to the thermal activation at room temperature.