Flow of water and ions thru a silica pore

This is the work of Paul Crozier at Sandia to study how narrow cylindrical pores in silica can regulate the passage water and ions in the presence of a pressure gradient for purposes of desalination. The animation shows amorphous SiO2 in transparent red and yellow, ions in blue and cyan, and water molecules in red and white. Permeation can be calculated from such simulations as a function of pore diameter, pore length, and pressure gradient magnitude.