From weak to strong non-equilibrium transport of fluids at the nanoscales

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Roland Netz
• Subject Area: Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics
• Term: from 2017 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 391007699

The confinement of liquids at the nanoscale leads to a broad spectrum of new properties which are harnessed in a variety of applications, from energy harvesting, over desalination, to oil extraction. However, not only do the classical frameworks fail to give a rationale of the transport properties at these scales, also the non-linear regimes of confined liquids have been barely explored up to now. In this project, we gather a collaborative team of experimentalists and theoreticians in order to tackle these challenging questions. This is based on (i) our unique experiments allowing us to fundamentally investigate ion and fluid transport in individual nanotubes, as well as (ii) our state-of-the-art expertise on the theory and numerical modelling of electrohydrodynamic phenomena, from ab initio simulations to new theoretical molecular frameworks. Our ultimate goal is to investigate strongly out-of-equilibrium transport and propose new types of active membrane processes.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: France
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Lyderic Bocquet; Professor Dr. Benjamin Rotenberg