Molecular Traffic Jam Makes Water Move Faster through Nanochannels

Seth Lichter

Cars inch forward slowly in traffic jams, but molecules, when jammed up, can move extremely fast.

New research by Northwestern University researchers finds that water molecules traveling through tiny carbon nanotube pipes do not flow continuously but rather intermittently, like stop-and-go traffic, with unexpected results.

“Previous molecular dynamics simulations suggested that water molecules coursing through carbon nanotubes are evenly spaced and move in lockstep with one another,” said Seth Lichter, professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.

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