Molecular dynamics simulation of continuous nanoflow transport through the uneven wettability channel

• Main Authors: Kai Zhang, Feng-hui Wang, Yong-jun Lu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AIP Publishing LLC 2018-01-01
• Series: AIP Advances
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5006369

It is necessary to understand and predict the behavior of continuous nanoflow, especially inside the nanochannel with uneven wettability. Because the properties of fluid confined in the nanochannel are different from the macroscopic fluid, molecular level understanding is critical for future applications. In this work, a series of molecular dynamics simulations were executed to investigate the effect of the wettability gradient on the continuous nanofluid. In the simulations, different osmotic pressures were applied to make the water transport through different nanochannels. Simulation data was analyzed to obtain water flow rate, shear viscosity, capillary force, density distributions along the height directions of channel and apparent friction factor. Results show that the uneven wettability has a significant effect on the transportation of confined water only under the proper applied osmotic pressure and the height of channel. Under the appropriate conditions, the uneven wettability has a promotion on the transportation of water when it is at the exit of channel. When the uneven wettability locates in the entrance and middle of the channel, the uneven wettability will hinder the transportation of water. Especially, it is worth mentioning that there is a special phenomenon when the height of the nanochannel becomes 0.8 nm. Depending on the applied osmotic pressure, the uneven wettability has a double-sided effect on the confined fluid inside the channel with H = 0.8 nm. Our work may contribute to the design of nanochannels.