The effects of hydrogen bonding on the shear viscosity of liquid water

Abstract As one of the fundamental physical properties of fluids, viscosity is considered to be the result of intermolecular forces and molecular momentum exchange. In this paper, we assume that hydrogen bonds, as the dominant intermolecular force, dominate the shear viscosity of liquid water and a relationship between the shear viscosity and hydrogen bonding is developed using dimensional analysis, which is further validated by computational chemistry methods. Water, methanol and ethanol are taken as examples to illustrate shear viscosity accounting for intermolecular forces and momentum exchange and their temperature dependence as a result of molecular thermal motions. The calculated shear viscosity of water is consistent with experimental data, which supports the idea that we can use the conceptual model to reveal the nature of shear viscosity.