The large-scale processing of nanomaterials such as graphene and MoS
relies on understanding the flow behaviour of nanometrically-thin platelets suspended in liquids. Here we show, by combining ...non-equilibrium molecular dynamics and continuum simulations, that rigid nanoplatelets can attain a stable orientation for sufficiently strong flows. Such a stable orientation is in contradiction with the rotational motion predicted by classical colloidal hydrodynamics. This surprising effect is due to hydrodynamic slip at the liquid-solid interface and occurs when the slip length is larger than the platelet thickness; a slip length of a few nanometers may be sufficient to observe alignment. The predictions we developed by examining pure and surface-modified graphene is applicable to different solvent/2D material combinations. The emergence of a fixed orientation in a direction nearly parallel to the flow implies a slip-dependent change in several macroscopic transport properties, with potential impact on applications ranging from functional inks to nanocomposites.
The bromeliad Tillandsia landbeckii thrives in the Atacama desert of Chile using the fog captured by specialized leaf trichomes to satisfy its water needs. However, it is still unclear how the ...trichome of T. landbeckii and other Tillandsia species is able to absorb fine water droplets during intermittent fog events while also preventing evaporation when the plant is exposed to the desert's hyperarid conditions. Here, we explain how a 5800-fold asymmetry in water conductance arises from a clever juxtaposition of a thick hygroscopic wall and a semipermeable membrane. While absorption is achieved by osmosis of liquid water, evaporation under dry external conditions shifts the liquid-gas interface forcing water to diffuse through the thick trichome wall in the vapor phase. We confirm this mechanism by fabricating artificial composite membranes mimicking the trichome structure. The reliance on intrinsic material properties instead of moving parts makes the trichome a promising basis for the development of microfluidics valves.
The classical theory by Jeffery predicts that, in the absence of Brownian fluctuations, a thin rigid platelet rotates continuously in a shear flow, performing periodic orbits. However, a stable ...orientation is possible if the surface of the platelet displays a hydrodynamic slip length $\lambda$ comparable to or larger than the thickness of the platelet. In this article, by solving the Fokker–Plank equation for the orientation distribution function and corroborating the analysis with boundary integral simulations, we quantify a threshold Péclet number, ${Pe}_{c}$, above which such alignment occurs. We found that for ${Pe}$ smaller than ${Pe}_{c}$, but larger than a second threshold, a regime emerges where Brownian fluctuations are strong enough to break the platelet's alignment and induce rotations, but with a period of rotation that depends on the value of $\lambda$. For ${Pe}$ below this second threshold, slip has a negligible effect on the orientational dynamics. We use these thresholds to classify the dynamics of graphene-like nanoplatelets for realistic values of $\lambda$ and apply our results to the quantification of the orientational contribution to the effective viscosity of a dilute suspension of nanoplatelets with slip. We find a non-monotonic variation of this term, with a minimum occurring when the slip length is comparable to the thickness of the particle.
The ubiquitous aquaporin channels are able to conduct water across cell membranes, combining the seemingly antagonist functions of a very high selectivity with a remarkable permeability. Whereas ...molecular details are obvious keys to perform these tasks, the overall efficiency of transport in such nanopores is also strongly limited by viscous dissipation arising at the connection between the nanoconstriction and the nearby bulk reservoirs. In this contribution, we focus on these so-called entrance effects and specifically examine whether the characteristic hourglass shape of aquaporins may arise from a geometrical optimum for such hydrodynamic dissipation. Using a combination of finite-element calculations and analytical modeling, we show that conical entrances with suitable opening angle can indeed provide a large increase of the overall channel permeability. Moreover, the optimal opening angles that maximize the permeability are found to compare well with the angles measured in a large variety of aquaporins. This suggests that the hourglass shape of aquaporins could be the result of a natural selection process toward optimal hydrodynamic transport. Finally, in a biomimetic perspective, these results provide guidelines to design artificial nanopores with optimal performances.
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