Ma, M;
Tocci, G;
Michaelides, A;
Aeppli, G;
(2016)
Fast diffusion of water nanodroplets on graphene.
Nature Materials
, 15
(1)
pp. 66-71.
10.1038/nmat4449.
Preview |
Text
Nature-Manuscript-Ma-et-al-20150911.pdf - Accepted Version Download (3MB) | Preview |
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 in 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.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fast diffusion of water nanodroplets on graphene |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1038/nmat4449 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmat4449 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2016 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1474240 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
