Shreyas Mandre

University Associate Professor of Fluid-Structure Interaction
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge
       

Mechanisms of liquid slip and solid surfaces Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 086001 (2004) PDF

by Lichter, Roxin and Mandre
Fluid Mechanics Molecular Dynamics Materials Science Liquid slip

Abstract:

One of the oldest unresolved problems in fluid mechanics is the nature of liquid flow along solid surfaces. It is traditionally assumed that across the liquid-solid interface, liquid and solid speeds exactly match. However, recent observations document that on the molecular scale, liquids can slip relative to solids. We formulate a model in which the liquid dynamics are described by a stochastic differential-difference equation, related to the Frenkel-Kontorova equation. The model, in agreement with molecular dynamics simulations, reveals that slip occurs via two mechanisms: localized defect propagation and concurrent slip of large domains. Well-defined transitions occur between the two mechanisms.