How molecular effects affect solutal Marangoni convection

TL;DR

This paper investigates how molecular-scale effects influence solutal Marangoni convection at liquid-liquid interfaces, emphasizing the importance of nanoscale interfacial properties and proposing extensions to hydrodynamic models.

Contribution

It demonstrates the significance of molecular interfacial effects in nanofluidic regimes and suggests ways to incorporate them into hydrodynamic models.

Findings

Molecular interfacial effects significantly impact Marangoni convection.

Hydrodynamic models can be extended with effective terms to include molecular effects.

Nanoscale interfacial properties differ from bulk liquid behavior.

Abstract

Interfacial tension gradients drive flow along liquid-liquid interfaces in a process known as the Marangoni effect. Such gradients can be caused by surfactants, which has been extensively studied in the literature. Less is known of its nanoscale properties, where molecular interfaces display properties separate from bulk liquid matter such as interfacial viscosity. In this report we study the molecular solutal Marangoni effect using molecular dynamics simulations. We show that molecular interfacial effects are important and should be accounted for in nanofluidic regimes. Hydrodynamic models can be extended with effective terms which include them.