Issue 8, 2012

Water flow enhancement in hydrophilic nanochannels

Abstract

All published reports on fluid flow enhancement and water slippage are associated with hydrophobic surfaces, such as carbon nanotubes. Here, we investigate water flow in hydrophilic alumina nanochannels with diameters ranging from 20 nm to 100 nm. For the smallest channels tested, the water permeability is more than double than the theoretical prediction using the Hagen-Poiseuille equation. Though such an enhancement is significantly smaller than what has been measured in carbon nanotubes, it clearly shows that flow enhancement and water slippage occurs on hydrophilic surfaces as well, contrary to existing theoretical models. To the authors' knowledge, it is the first experimental demonstration of water slippage on hydrophilic surfaces. The results show the dependence of the flow enhancement on the surface chemistry, diameter and length of the nanochannel.

Graphical abstract: Water flow enhancement in hydrophilic nanochannels

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 Jan 2012
Accepted
24 Feb 2012
First published
29 Feb 2012

Nanoscale, 2012,4, 2621-2627

Water flow enhancement in hydrophilic nanochannels

K. P. Lee, H. Leese and D. Mattia, Nanoscale, 2012, 4, 2621 DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30098B

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