![]() Less friction means less energy is needed to force water through the tubes. The theoretical findings could have significant implications for proposed carbon nanotube applications, such as filtering salt from seawater or generating energy using the difference in saltiness between salt water and fresh water. The researchers propose that this atomic-scale mismatch hinders electron hops, reducing friction and causing faster flows through tighter tubes. ![]() For narrower nanotubes, geometric constraints cause misalignment between the layers. That's because electrons can hop from layer to layer. This effect is strongest for nanotube variants constructed from multiple layers of single-atom-thick carbon sheets. In their explanation, Kavokine and his colleagues propose that the passing water molecules interact with electrons in the nanotube walls, so that the molecules and electrons push and pull on one another and slow down the flow. ![]() "This work shows a connection between hydrodynamics and the quantum properties of matter that was not obvious until now." "The water-carbon system has been puzzling scientists for over a decade, and we're proposing the first reasonable explanation for what happens," Kavokine says. The proposed explanation is the first indication of quantum effects at the boundary of a solid and a liquid, says study lead author Nikita Kavokine, a research fellow at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Quantum Physics (CCQ) in New York City. In an unprecedented mashup of fluid dynamics and quantum mechanics, researchers report in a new theoretical study published February 2 in Nature that they finally have an answer: 'quantum friction.' ![]()
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