EAGER: A surface charge driven nanofluidic pump

这项提议的总体目标是提供革命性的进展，以开发一种受生物学和工程纳米流体主动泵原理启发的纳米流体泵。在这个概念验证项目中，将尝试在通道壁上存在不对称表面电荷的受限纳米通道中建立电动水电解质运输。实验将由计算模型（连续体和分子动力学）指导，以设计一个概念验证，新颖的纳米流体泵。这个想法是基于生物系统中成熟的想法，即利用不对称电荷移动水合离子，并结合带有嵌入式电极的纳米流体装置来开发一种新型纳米流体泵。因为，在这一提议提出高风险、潜在的变革性研究之前，还没有建立过这样的系统。这项工作将对纳米尺度流体动力学的进展产生重大影响，为设计用于各种应用的新型纳米流体装置提供新的途径，如主要提案叙述中所述。通过研究和教育之间的多阶段整合，这个多学科的实验项目预计将通过个人和小组实验室培训，课程作业，实践研讨会，外展，使至少本科生和研究生以及更广泛的受众，包括少数民族，代表性不足的群体，初高中女生接触微流体和纳米流体。以及影响未来科学家和工程师教育的网络模块。

1335946PrakashThe over-arching goal of this proposal is to provide transformative advances towards developing a nanofluidic pump inspired by principles of active pumping from biology and engineered nanofluidics. In this proof-of-concept project, an attempt will be made to establish electrokinetic aqueous electrolyte transport in a confined nanochannel in the presence of asymmetric surface charges on the channel walls. The experiments will be guided by computational models (both continuum and molecular dynamics) to engineer a proof-of-concept, novel, nanofluidic pump. The idea is based on well-established ideas in biological systems that use asymmetric charges to move hydrated ions and combine with a nanofluidic device with embedded electrodes to develop a novel nanofluidic pump. Since, no such system has been built before this proposal presents high risk, potentially transformative research. This work will have significant impact on advances in nanoscale fluid dynamics leading to new avenues for engineering novel nanofluidic devices for a variety of applications as described in the main proposal narrative. By using multi-stage integration between research and education, this multi-disciplinary experimental project is expected to give at a minimum undergraduate and graduate students and perhaps a much broader audience including minority, under-represented groups, middle and high school female students exposure to microfluidics and nanofluidics through individual and group lab training, coursework, hands-on workshops, outreach, and web modules for impact on education of future scientists and engineers.