Transition to a Superpermeation Phase of Confined Water Induced by a Terahertz Electromagnetic Wave

Excellent permeation of one-dimensional (1-D) confined water across membrane channels is implicated in physiological processes and widely inspires the design of novel nanodevices and materials. Here, through molecular dynamics simulations, we proposed a phase transition to superpermeation (approximately 1 order of magnitude enhancement) of confined water across a 1-D water channel caused by a terahertz electromagnetic stimulus with a limited thermal effect. The underlying mechanism is revealed to be a combination of strength matching and frequency resonance between a relatively weak stimulus and the hydrogen bond network of 1-D confined water, rather than the bulk water outside. This combination causes an anomalously structural phase transition of only the confined water while efficiently limiting the thermal effect of bulk water. Our findings are promising for promoting the developments of advanced nanofluidic systems and terahertz technology and even physiological research.