LAUSR

Abstract The transport properties of water molecules through single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) under static electric fields (SEFs) with different directions were studied by molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that the net water flux in the SEF direction opposite to the hydrostatic pressure direction is much larger than that in the same direction under the electric field intensity 0 . 01 E 0 ≤ 0 . 6 V/nm. The reason is mainly that the SEF tunes the polarization direction of the water chain in the SWCNT, leading to different barrier height to be overcome for water molecules channeling across the SWCNT. Further, it also implies that water molecule chains moving forward with the oxygen atom can pass through the nanotube faster than that with the hydrogen atom forward. These findings may be instructive to regulate the water transport properties using the SEF in nanofluid devices and biological nano-channels.