Multiscale simulations of nanofluidics: Recent progress and perspective

Nanofluidics research has achieved a significant growth over the past few years. New phenomena of nanoscaled fluid flows are being reported continuously, such as altered liquid properties, fast flows, and ion rectification, which attract tremendous research interests in many fields, such as membrane science, biological nanochips, and energy conventions. Multiscale simulations, covering quantum mechanics, molecular mechanics, coarse-grained particle dynamics (mesoscale), and continuum mechanics, have shown their great advantages in studying the new frontier of nanofluidics in academia and industry, which is in range of 1–1000 nm scale. These simulations provide the opportunity to visualize the nanofluidics applications existed in the minds of scientists and then guide experimental design to realize the potential of nanofluidics applications in industrial. In this article, we attempt to give a comprehensive review of nanofluidics from the aspect of multiscale simulations. The methodology and role of various simulation methods used in the investigation of nanofluidics are presented. The properties and characteristics of nanofluidics are summarized. The applications of nanofluidics in recent years are emphasized. And then the development of simulation methods and the application of nanofluidics are also prospected.

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