The directed transport of water molecules in a single-walled carbon
nanotube (SWNT) based on a ratchet effect is investigated by molecular dynamics
simulations. The system is driven far away from thermal equilibrium by an additional
deterministic perturbation of a vibrating charge, and the spatial inversion symmetry is
broken by the continuous deformations of the SWNT. It is well-known that the water
flux across a circular channel decreases when the channel is narrowed or deformed.
However, our simulation results show that the water flux almost increases linearly
within a deformation of 1.9 Å. There exists an optimized value of deformation at
which the pumping capacity takes its maximum value. Moreover, the direction of
transport even exhibits a change of sign with narrowing the carbon nanotube.