A Mesoscopic Approach for Multi-Phase Flows in Nano-Corrugated Channels

by R. Benzi et al. arXiv.org E-print Archive, 4 May 2006 An approach based on a lattice version of the Boltzmann kinetic equation for describing multi-phase flows in nano- and micro-corrugated devices is proposed. We specialize it to describe the wetting/dewetting transition of fluids in presence of nanoscopic grooves etched on the boundaries. This approach permits to retain the essential supra-molecular details of fluid-solid interactions without surrendering -- actually boosting -- the computational efficiency of continuum methods. The mesoscopic method is first validated quantitatively against Molecular Dynamics (MD) results of Cottin-Bizonne et al. and then applied to more complex situations which are hardly accessible to MD simulations. The resulting analysis confirms that surface roughness and capillary effects may conspire to promote a counter-intuitive but significant reduction of the flow drag with substantial enhancement in the mass flow rates and slip-lengths in the micrometric range for highly hydrophobic surfaces. Read more