Electric fields can control the transport of water in carbon nanotubes

Konstantinos Ritos; Matthew Borg; Nigel Mottram; Jason Reese

doi:10.1098/rsta.2015.0025

Electric fields can control the transport of water in carbon nanotubes

Konstantinos Ritos, Matthew Borg, Nigel Mottram, Jason Reese

School of Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

The properties of water confined inside nanotubes are of considerable scientific and technological interest. We use molecular dynamics to investigate the structure and average orientation of water flowing within a carbon nanotube. We find that water exhibits biaxial paranematic liquid crystal ordering both within the nanotube and close to its ends. This preferred molecular ordering is enhanced when an axial electric field is applied, affecting the water flow rate through the nanotube. A spatially patterned electric field can minimize nanotube entrance effects and significantly increase the flow rate.

Original language	English
Article number	20150025
Journal	Philosophical Transactions A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Volume	374
Issue number	2060
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2015.0025
Publication status	Published - 13 Feb 2016

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

molecular dynamics
carbon nanotubes
electric fields
nanofluidics
liquid crystals
water transport

Access to Document

10.1098/rsta.2015.0025

RitosEtAlPhilTransRoySocA2015Final published version, 1.31 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

ARCHER leadership project: "Multiscale simulation of interfacial dynamics for breakthrough nano/micro-flow engineering applications"
Borg, M. & Reese, J.
1/11/15 → 1/11/17
Project: Awarded Facility Time
Fluid-Net: Edinburgh Fluid Dynamics Group
Viola, I. M., Reese, J., Hoskins, P., Vanneste, J., Leimkuhler, B., Berera, A., Morozov, A., Haszeldine, S., Tett, S. & Bethune, I.
30/06/14 → 30/06/15
Project: University Awarded Project Funding
The First Open-Source Software for Non-Continuum Flows in Engineering
Reese, J. & Borg, M.
EPSRC
1/10/13 → 31/03/18
Project: Research

Electric fields can control the transport of water in carbon nanotubes
Ritos, K. (Creator), Borg, M. (Creator), Mottram, N. (Creator) & Reese, J. (Creator), University of Strathclyde, 2015
DOI: 10.15129/66f4b873-30e5-49ce-a432-dbda6a8c62cc
Dataset

Cite this

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title = "Electric fields can control the transport of water in carbon nanotubes",

abstract = "The properties of water confined inside nanotubes are of considerable scientific and technological interest. We use molecular dynamics to investigate the structure and average orientation of water flowing within a carbon nanotube. We find that water exhibits biaxial paranematic liquid crystal ordering both within the nanotube and close to its ends. This preferred molecular ordering is enhanced when an axial electric field is applied, affecting the water flow rate through the nanotube. A spatially patterned electric field can minimize nanotube entrance effects and significantly increase the flow rate.",

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author = "Konstantinos Ritos and Matthew Borg and Nigel Mottram and Jason Reese",

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language = "English",

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T1 - Electric fields can control the transport of water in carbon nanotubes

AU - Ritos, Konstantinos

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AU - Reese, Jason

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Y1 - 2016/2/13

N2 - The properties of water confined inside nanotubes are of considerable scientific and technological interest. We use molecular dynamics to investigate the structure and average orientation of water flowing within a carbon nanotube. We find that water exhibits biaxial paranematic liquid crystal ordering both within the nanotube and close to its ends. This preferred molecular ordering is enhanced when an axial electric field is applied, affecting the water flow rate through the nanotube. A spatially patterned electric field can minimize nanotube entrance effects and significantly increase the flow rate.

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KW - molecular dynamics

KW - carbon nanotubes

KW - electric fields

KW - nanofluidics

KW - liquid crystals

KW - water transport

U2 - 10.1098/rsta.2015.0025

DO - 10.1098/rsta.2015.0025

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JO - Philosophical Transactions A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences

JF - Philosophical Transactions A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences

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ER -

Electric fields can control the transport of water in carbon nanotubes

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

ARCHER leadership project: "Multiscale simulation of interfacial dynamics for breakthrough nano/micro-flow engineering applications"

Fluid-Net: Edinburgh Fluid Dynamics Group

The First Open-Source Software for Non-Continuum Flows in Engineering

Datasets

Electric fields can control the transport of water in carbon nanotubes

Cite this