Nanoscale Pumping of Water by AC Electric Fields

KF Rinne and S Gekle and DJ Bonthuis and RR Netz, NANO LETTERS, 12, 1780-1783 (2012).

DOI: 10.1021/nl203614t

Using molecular dynamics simulations we demonstrate pumping of water through a carbon nanotube by time-dependent electric fields. The fields are generated by electrodes with oscillating charges in a broad gigahertz frequency range that are attached laterally to the tube. The key ingredient is a phase shift between the electrodes to break the spatiotemporal symmetry. A microscopic theory based on a polarization- dragging mechanism accounts quantitatively for our numerical findings.

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