Manipulation of a neutral and nonpolar nanoparticle in water using a nonuniform electric field

Molecular Mechanisms of the Generation and Accumulation of Gas at the Interface

Gas-evolving reactions are widespread in chemical and energy fields. However, the generated gas will accumulate at the interface, which reduces the rate of gas generation. Understanding the microscopic processes of the generation and accumulation of gas at the interface is crucial for improving the efficiency of gas generation. Here, we develop an algorithm to reproduce the process of catalytic gas generation at the molecular scale based on the all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and obtain the quantitative evolution of the gas generation, which agrees well with the experimental results. In addition, we demonstrate that under an external electric field, the generated gas molecules do not accumulate at the electrode surface, which implies that the electric field can significantly increase the rate of the gas generation. The results suggest that the external electric field changes the structure of the water molecules near the electrode surface, making it difficult for gas molecules to accumulate on the electrode surface. Furthermore, it is found that gas desorption from the electrode surface is an entropy-driven process, and its accumulation at the electrode surface depends mainly on the competition between the entropy and the enthalpy of the water molecules under the influence of the electric field. These results provide deep insight into gas generation and inhibition of gas accumulation.

Electric field-induced gas dissolving in aqueous solutions

Gas dissolution or accumulation regulating in an aqueous environment is important but difficult in various fields. Here, we performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study the dissolution/accumulation of gas molecules in aqueous solutions. It was found that the distribution of gas molecules at the solid-water interface is regulated by the direction of the external electric field. Gas molecules attach and accumulate to the interface with an electric field parallel to the interface, while the gas molecules depart and dissolve into the aqueous solutions with a vertical electric field. The above phenomena can be attributed to the redistribution of water molecules as a result of the change of hydrogen bonds of water molecules at the interface as affected by the electric field. This finding reveals a new mechanism of regulating gas accumulation and dissolution in aqueous solutions and can have tremendous applications in the synthesis of drugs, the design of microfluidic device, and the extraction of natural gas.

Nanoparticles as suitable messengers for molecular communication

Molecular communication (MoCo) is a new paradigm of bio-inspired communication in which the transport of information occurs through information particles instead of electromagnetic waves. Herein, the enormous potential of nanoparticles in this field is highlighted. The MoCo concept has been extensively modelled both theoretically and computationally within the scientific community, mainly in the field of engineering. We collected the most relevant findings about the implementation of prototypal MoCo platforms by exploiting nanoparticles as informative nanomessengers and herein the theoretical and computational modelling used to design MoCo systems is presented.

Rotating-Electric-Field-Induced Carbon-Nanotube-Based Nanomotor in Water: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Using molecular dynamics simulations, it is shown that a carbon nanotube (CNT) suspended in water and subjected to a rotating electric field of proper magnitude and angular speed can be rotated with the aid of water dipole orientations. Based on this principle, a rotational nanomotor structure is designed and the system is simulated in water. Use of the fast responsiveness of electric-field-induced CNT orientation in water is employed and its operation at ultrahigh-speed (over 10¹¹ r.p.m.) is shown. To explain the basic mechanism, the behavior of the rotational actuation, originated from the water dipole orientation, is also analyzed . The proposed nanomotor is capable of rotating an attached load (such as CNT) at a precise angle as well as nanogear-based complex structures. The findings suggest a potential way of using the electric-field-induced CNT rotation in polarizable fluids as a novel tool to operate nanodevices and systems.

An electrostatic nanosecond switch in a nanoscale water channel

We proposed a nano-scale water switch composed of CNTs. We can control the switch toggle between open and close state only by changing the direction of the external electric field.