Nanofluidic transport through isolated carbon nanotube channels: Advances, controversies, and challenges

Guo, Shirui; Meshot, Eric R.; Kuykendall, Tevye; Cabrini, Stefano; Fornasiero, Francesco

doi:10.1002/adma.201500372

Nanofluidic transport through isolated carbon nanotube channels: Advances, controversies, and challenges

Journal Article · Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Advanced Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201500372· OSTI ID:1251032

Guo, Shirui ^[1]; Meshot, Eric R. ^[1]; Kuykendall, Tevye ^[2]; Cabrini, Stefano ^[2]; Fornasiero, Francesco ^[1]

Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Owing to their simple chemistry and structure, controllable geometry, and a plethora of unusual yet exciting transport properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as exceptional channels for fundamental nanofluidic studies, as well as building blocks for future fluidic devices that can outperform current technology in many applications. Leveraging the unique fluidic properties of CNTs in advanced systems requires a full understanding of their physical origin. Recent advancements in nanofabrication technology enable nanofluidic devices to be built with a single, nanometer-wide CNT as a fluidic pathway. These novel platforms with isolated CNT nanochannels offer distinct advantages for establishing quantitative structure–transport correlations in comparison with membranes containing many CNT pores. In addition, they are promising components for single-molecule sensors as well as for building nanotube-based circuits wherein fluidics and electronics can be coupled. With such advanced device architecture, molecular and ionic transport can be manipulated with vastly enhanced control for applications in sensing, separation, detection, and therapeutic delivery. Recent achievements in fabricating isolated-CNT nanofluidic platforms are highlighted, along with the most-significant findings each platform enables for water, ion, and molecular transport. Furthermore, the implications of these findings and remaining open questions on the exceptional fluidic properties of CNTs are also discussed.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 1251032

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL--666424

Journal Information:: Advanced Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Materials Journal Issue: 38 Vol. 27; ISSN 0935-9648

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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