Electric Field Induced Capillary Condensation in Micron Deep Channels

Condensation can occur in small scale systems due to the presence of Laplace pressure below the saturation pressure of the liquid. Lately capillary condensation has attracted lots of attentions due to its broad application in various fields from climate engineering to water purification. Thermodynamics arguments suggest that electric fields alongside capillaries can induce the condensation of fluids in larger channels or lower humidity. The validity of this hypothesis has not been looked at in previous works due to experimental difficulties such as reaching high electric fields necessary. Here we show an experiment to investigate how high electric field invoke condensation in micron deep channel. In order to study this effect water vapor was flowed through a channel with clear electrodes, permitting visualization of the condensed water. The formation of the liquid water was further inspected using a self assembled Raman Spectrometer to determine the effect of the electric field on the structure of the water. We will discuss the validity of the thermodynamic model and the implications for applications such as vapor separation and gas drying.