Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusion of binary mixtures confined in a nanochannel

Abstract

In this paper, direct non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation is developed to investigate thermal conductivity and thermal diffusion factors of confined binary mixtures of methane and some n-alkanes in a nanochannel. We used two thermal walls in different temperatures to impose temperature gradient in the system. The mixtures are confined between two parallel atomic walls, normal to temperature gradient. Simulation results show high inhomogeneity and layering in the mixtures. Thermal conductivity of mixtures increases with decreasing the channel width and increases in mixtures with high concentration of methane. Except for very small channels, confinement has minimal effect on thermal diffusion. In very narrow channels, thermal diffusion is small and it reaches a steady state value with increasing the channel width. Local velocity fields for two different channels also show different behaviors. In relatively large channels some convection patterns are observed in mixtures.