Fast diffusion of water nanodroplets on graphene

Abstract

Diffusion across surfaces generally involves motion on a vibrating but otherwise stationary substrate. Here, using molecular dynamics, we show that a layered material such as graphene opens up a new mechanism for surface diffusion whereby adsorbates are carried by propagating ripples via a motion similar to surfing. For water nanodroplets, we demonstrate that the mechanism leads to exceedingly fast diffusion that is 2-3 orders of magnitude faster than the self-diffusion of water molecules in liquid water. We also reveal the underlying principles that regulate this new mechanism for diffusion and show how it also applies to adsorbates other than water, thus opening up the prospect of achieving fast and controllable motion of adsorbates across material surfaces more generally.

arXiv comment3 figures

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• Ballistic thermophoresis of adsorbates on free-standing graphene
• Defects induce phase transition from dynamic to static rippling in graphene
• Revisiting the Green-Kubo relation for friction in nanofluidics
• Universal Moiré Buckling of Freestanding 2D Bilayers
• Particle number scaling for diffusion-induced dissipation in graphene and carbon nanotube nanomechanical resonators
• Accurate estimation of dynamical quantities for nonequilibrium nanoscale system
• Interactions enhance dispersion in fluctuating channels via emergent flows
• Water Nucleation via Transient Bonds to Oxygen Functionalized Graphite
• Giant mobility of surface-trapped ionic charges following liquid tribocharging
• Enhanced molecular diffusion near a soft fluctuating membrane
• Hydrodynamic permeability of fluctuating porous membranes