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Download fileIonic Liquid Filled Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Flow-Induced Energy Harvesting
journal contribution
posted on 2019-01-04, 00:00 authored by Yongji Guan, Wenqiong Chen, Jiao Zhang, Fulong Yang, Chao Du, Xiaoping Zhang, Youquan DengHarvesting
flow-induced energy for powering nanoelectromechanical
systems offers much promise for nanotechnology. Motivated by the electric
eel, which is capable of generating considerable electric shocks with
highly selective ion channels and pumps on its cell membrane, herein,
we employed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the flow-induced
energy harvesting through flowing three kinds of imidazolium-based
ionic liquids (ILs) over single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with
diameters varied from 1.22 to 4.07 nm at temperatures ranging from
300 to 375 K. The results show that ILs inside a SWCNT with a diameter
of 3.39 nm flow at a speed of ∼19 m/s resulting in a considerable
flow-induced voltage (FIV) up to 2.22 μV, and the maximal FIVs
increase from 1.91 to 2.34 μV as the diameter of the SWCNT varies
from 1.22 to 4.07 nm at 300 K. Further analysis shows that this FIV
arises from the free charge carriers on the inner surface of SWCNTs
drifting along the flow direction of ILs under the drag of the Coulomb
field, and the FIV increases to saturation with increased average
flow velocity of ILs which is caused by the balance between internal
resistance arising from the ILs and SWCNTs and the external driving
force. This work also demonstrates an advanced equation to appropriately
and effectively calculate the FIV of flowing ILs inside SWCNTs on
the nanoscale which involves the effect of Coulomb field present in
ILs on the free charge carriers of the SWCNT inner surfaces and the
characteristic of Coulomb interactions. Moreover, the dependence of
FIV on anion species, temperature, and average flow velocity of ILs
is also investigated.