Experimental and molecular dynamics study of gas flow characteristics in nanopores

Abstract

Gas flow characteristics in nanopores were investigated experimentally and numerically using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with an emphasis on the friction factor and gas viscosity. The results show that the viscosity and the friction factor in nanopores are much lower than those in macroscale channels. The actual viscosities obtained from the MD studies showed that the gas viscosity in nanopores is less than the macroscale viscosity because collisions between gas molecules are less frequent in high Knudsen number flows and there are more collisions with the wall. The MD simulations show that the velocity profile is composed of two parts, with a much steeper velocity gradient near the wall. © 2012 The Author(s).