Paper presented at Nanoscale Science and Engineering Grantee Conference, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved March 13, 2006 from http://nano.materials.drexel.edu/Papers/Over08_NIRT_Drexel.pdf.The processes that govern fluid transport in pipes are well understood for diameters in the range
of micrometers and above. As the diameters diminish (e.g. in the range of a few nanometers), the
roles of surface tension and capillarity seem to vary. Thus, the expected promise of carbon
nanotubes (CNT, 1-10 nm inner diameter) and nanopipes (CNP, 50-200 nm inner diameter) in
technological applications is in urgent need of a well-documented, basic understanding of such
forces, especially since no consistent experimental data have been collected until recently. We
have investigated the liquid/vapor distribution in nanotubes, the interaction of fluids with the
tube walls, and the effect of hydrothermal treatment on the surface chemistry of carbon
nanotubes.1,2 On this basis, we are developing a research program that will thoroughly explore
the various aspects of phase interfacing in a number of different nanotube situations.
Hydrothermal and CVD-grown CNP will be examined. Fluid behavior, chemical modification,
and opening of the CNP using bipolar electrochemistry will be investigated. The experimental
work will be supplemented by modeling work based on parallel molecular dynamics simulations.
Finally, we will design nanotube-based nanofluidic devices, which may find applications in
cellular probes, lab-on-a-chip manufacturing, electrochemical cells, and beyond
