Related papers: Chapter: Energy conversion at water-solid interfac…
Thermo-osmotic flows - flows generated in micro and nanofluidic systems by thermal gradients - could provide an alternative approach to harvest waste heat. However, such use would require massive thermo-osmotic flows, which are up to now…
Energy harvesting from evaporation has become a hot topic in the last couple of years. Researchers have speculated on several possible mechanisms. Electrokinetic energy conversion is the least hypothetical one. The basics of pressure-driven…
It has been suggested that superhydrophobic surfaces, due to the presence of a no-shear zone, can greatly enhance transport of surface charges, leading to a considerable increase in the streaming potential. This could find potential use in…
The integration of the coupling effects of intrinsic wettability and surface charge in a nanochannel can cause non-intuitive behavior in the electrokinetic energy conversion processes. We demonstrate that in a nanofluidic device the energy…
The interface between a liquid and a solid is the location of plethora of intrincate mechanisms at the nanoscale, at the root of their specific emerging properties in natural processes or technological applications. However, while the…
The paper presents a theoretical model that allows the dynamic description of osmotic flows through a semi-permeable interface. To depict the out-of-equilibrium transfer, the interface is represented by an energy barrier that colloids have…
Hydraulic energy is a key component of the global energy mix, yet there exists no practical way of harvesting it at small scales, from flows at low Reynolds number. This has triggered the search for alternative hydroelectric conversion…
Liquid transport through nanopore is central into many applications, from water purification to biosensing or energy harvesting. Ultimately thin nanopores are of major interest in these applications to increase driving potential and reduce…
Electroosmosis is a fascinating effect where liquid motion is induced by an applied electric field. Counter ions accumulate in the vicinity of charged surfaces, triggering a coupling between liquid mass transport and external electric…
High-performance osmotic energy conversion (OEC) with perm-selective porous membrane requires both high ionic selectivity and permeability simultaneously. Here, hydrodynamic slip is considered on surfaces of nanopores to break the tradeoff…
The forced intrusion of water in hydrophobic nanoporous pulverulent material is of interest for quick storage of energy. With nanometric pores the energy storage capacity is controlled by interfacial phenomena. With subnanometric pores, we…
Nanofluidic systems show great promises for applications in energy conversion, where their performance can be enhanced by nanoscale liquid-solid slip. However, efficiency is also controlled by surface charge, which is known to reduce slip.…
Hydrophobic solid-water interfaces underpin processes in nanofluidics, electrochemistry, and energy technologies. Microscopic insights into these systems are often inferred from our understanding of the air-water interface, which is assumed…
Osmotic transport in nanoconfined aqueous electrolytes provides new venues for water desalination and "blue energy" harvesting; the osmotic response of nanofluidic systems is controlled by the interfacial structure of water and electrolyte…
We study the governing equations for the motion of the fluid particles near air-water interface from an energetic point of view. Since evaporation and condensation phenomena occur at the interface, we have to consider phase transition. This…
We introduce a model for ionic electrodiffusion and osmotic water flow through cells and tissues. The model consists of a system of partial differential equations for ionic concentration and fluid flow with interface conditions at deforming…
The shift in water security demands improvements in alternative solutions such as saltwater desalination. One of the most efficient technologies in this scope is the reverse osmosis systems, a technology based on a membrane separation…
Nonlinear electrokinetic phenomena, where electrically driven fluid flows depend nonlinearly on the applied voltage, are commonly encountered in aqueous suspensions of colloidal particles. A prime example is the induced-charge…
Thermo-osmotic flows, generated by applying a thermal gradient along a liquid-solid interface, could be harnessed to convert waste heat into electricity. While this phenomenon has been known for almost a century, there is a crucial need to…
Thermo-osmotic and related thermo-phoretic phenomena can be found in many situations from biology to colloid science, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we measured the…