Electrostatic-Field-Induced\nCollapse of Nanobubbles\nin Nanochannels

The adsorbed nanobubbles inside the nanochannels can\ncause fluid\ntransport blockages, which will obviously degrade the nanodevice performance\nand reduce the lifetime. However, due to small-scale effects, the\nremoval of nanobubbles is a huge challenge at the nanoscale. Herein,\nmolecular dynamics simulations are carried out to study the effect\nof the electrostatic field on underwater nitrogen nanobubbles confined\nin nanochannels. It is found that the nanobubbles will collapse under\nan appropriate electrostatic field, thereby unblocking the transport\nof water in the nanochannels. The formation of ordered water structures\ninduced by electrostatic fields plays an important role in the removal\nof nanobubbles from the nanochannels. Our findings provide a convenient,\ncontrollable, and remote way to address the blockage problem of nanobubbles\nin nanochannels, which may have potential applications in improving\nthe performance of fuel cells.