Séminaire PHENIX | Cécilia Herrero "The power of interface: A molecular perspective on slippage in nanofluidic systems"

Séminaire du laboratoire PHENIX

Conférencière invitée : Cécilia Herrero (PhD)

Université de Montpellier UM1 Laboratoire Charles Coulomb

THE POWER OF THE INTERFACE : A MOLECULAR PERSPECTIVE ON SLIPPAGE IN NANOFLUIDIC SYSTEMSLA PUISSANCE DE L'INTERFACE : UNE PERSPECTIVE MOLÉCULAIRE SUR LE GLISSEMENT DANS LES SYSTÈMES NANOFLUIDIQUES

Abstract : Nanofluidics, the study of fluid transport at nanometer scale, is an emerging field offering innovative solutions to desalinate water, and to harvest energy or waste heat. At the nanosclae, surface effects become crucial: in particular liquid-solid slip, arising from a favorable ratio between viscosity and interfacial friction, can boost the performance of nanofluidic devices. In this seminar, I will show how molecular dynamics simulations can help us tu unravel the molecular processes occuring at the nanoscale, starting from fundamental questions up to practical and promising applications. For instance, I will show that wall slip increases strongly when water is cooled down below its melting point, and investigate the origin of this unexpected effect. Then, I will show that intense thermo-osmotic flows (flows generated in micro and nanofluidic systems by thermal gradients) can be generated using slipping charged surfaces, making this type of electrokinetic phenomena industrially relevant for waste heat harvesting applications. Finally, I will also show how, for intermediate wettings, a transition from a thermophobic to a thermophilic behaviour is predicted depending on the surface charge and salt concentration, opening a venue for controlling and manipulating thermally induced flows with common charged surfaces and a pinch of salt.

Contact PHENIX : Lingsam Tea