Nanotube membrane

Not to be confused with membrane nanotube.

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Nanotube membrane is either a single, open-ended nanotube or a film composed of open-ended nanotubes that are oriented perpendicularly to the surface of an impermeable film matrix like the cells of a honeycomb. 'Impermeable' is essential here to distinguish nanotube membrane with traditional, well known porous membranes. Fluids and gas molecules may pass through the membrane en masse.

Transport of polystyrene particles (60 and 100 nm diameter) through single-tube membranes (150 nm) was reported in 2000.^[1] Soon after, ensemble membranes consisting of multi-wall carbon nanotubes, were fabricated and studied.^[2] It was shown that water can pass through the graphitic nanotube cores of the membrane at speeds several magnitudes greater than classical fluid dynamics would predict, both for multiwall tubes (inner diameter 7 nm) ^[3] and double-wall tubes (inner diameter <2 nm).^[4] It was further demonstrated that the flow of water through carbon nanotube membranes (without filler matrix, thus flow on the outside surface of CNTs) can be controlled through the application of electrical current.^[5] Among many potential uses that nanotube membranes might one day be employed is the desalination of water.

See also

• carbon nanotube
• Nanofiltration
• Nanofluidics
• Potential applications of carbon nanotubes

References

1. ^ Li Sun, and Richard M. Crooks (2000). "Single Carbon Nanotube Membranes: A Well-Defined Model for Studying Mass Transport through Nanoporous Materials". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 122: 12340. doi:10.1021/ja002429w. 
2. ^ B. J. Hinds et al. (2004). "Aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube membranes". Science 303 (5654): 62. doi:10.1126/science.1092048. PMID 14645855. 
3. ^ M. Majumder et al. (2005). "Nanoscale hydrodynamics: Enhanced flow in carbon nanotubes". Nature 438 (7064): 44. Bibcode 2005Natur.438...44M. doi:10.1038/438044a. PMID 16267546. Lay summary. 
4. ^ J. K. Holt et al. (2006). "Fast Mass Transport Through Sub-2-Nanometer Carbon Nanotubes". Science 312 (5776): 1034. doi:10.1126/science.1126298. PMID 16709781. Lay summary. 
5. ^ Z. Wang et al. (2007). "Polarity-Dependent Electrochemically Controlled Transport of Water through Carbon Nanotube Membranes". Nano lett. 7 (3): 697. doi:10.1021/nl062853g. PMID 17295548. Lay summary.