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Updated: May 18, 2026

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
Published on: September 30, 2014
Enhanced translational diffusion of confined water under electric field
S O Diallo1, E Mamontov, W Nobuo
1Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
Abstract:
High resolution quasielastic neutron scattering measurements have been used to study the effects of applied electric field on the dynamics of water molecules confined in the pores of folded silica sheet material FSM-12 with an average pore diameter (apd) of 16 Å. In the absence of field, there is a significant slowing down of the water molecule diffusion as the temperature is lowered, in agreement with previous observations. The application of a moderate electric field of 2.5 kV/mm remarkably enhances the translational diffusion of water molecules. We interpret this as being due to a disruption of the hydrogen bonding by the electric field. This new observation suggests that existing theories valid at large electric field strengths may have to be corrected at moderate fields.
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