An electrostatic nanosecond switch in a nanoscale water channel

Abstract

We proposed a nanoscale water switch composed of CNTs. A capped CNT with potassium ions in it may move under an external electric field, just like a piston. We can control the switch toggle between the open and closed states only by changing the direction of the external electric field. Molecular dynamics (MD) was used to simulate the performance of the switch. The results show that this device may act well as a switch. The response speed of the switch reaches the nanosecond level. The stability of the piston position is also investigated.