The influence of water polarization on slip friction at charged interfaces

Abstract

The present study employs equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to explore the potential mechanism for controlling friction by applying electrostatic fields in nanoconfined aqueous electrolytes. The slip friction coefficient demonstrates a gradual increase corresponding to the surface charge density for pure water and aqueous electrolytes, exhibiting a similar trend across both nanochannel walls. An expression is formulated to rationalize the observed slip friction behavior, describing the effect of the electric field on the slip friction coefficient. According to this formulation, the slip friction coefficient increases proportionally to the square of the uniform electric field emanating from the charged electrode. This increase in slip friction results from the energy change due to the orientation polarization of interfacial water dipoles. The minimal variations in the empirically determined proportionality constant for pure water and aqueous electrolytes indicate that water polarization primarily governs slip friction at charged interfaces. These findings offer insights into the electrical effects on nanoscale lubrication of aqueous electrolytes, highlighting the significant role of water polarization in determining slip.