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Confined Water in Carbon Nanotubes and Its Applications

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Transport and Reactivity of Solutions in Confined Hydrosystems

Abstract

Unique nanoscale transport properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have inspired researchers for over a decade, initially with their analogies to various biological pores and later with the potential impact on water purification. Water can permeate through a nanometer-wide pipe of the CNT interior at rates far exceeding those predicted by Hagen-Poiseuille formulation and measured in nano conduits of different material, attributed to nano confinement, hydrophobicity, and smooth potential energy landscape. Also, chemical addition to the nanotube ends was found effective in electrostatic exclusion of ions without much loss of water permeability, suggesting the emergence of CNT membranes for desalination and purification of water resources. This article introduces Carbon Nanotube Nanofluidics by capturing important findings and progresses made in the early developments of the area.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanoscience for Energy Technology and Sustainability, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), Sonneggstrasse 3, Zurich, CH-8092, Switzerland

    Seul Ki Youn, Jakob Buchheim & Hyung Gyu Park

Authors
  1. Seul Ki Youn
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  2. Jakob Buchheim
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  3. Hyung Gyu Park
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hyung Gyu Park .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Orléans, Orléans, France

    Lionel Mercury

  2. Department of Transducers Science and Technology, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Niels Tas

  3. The Hydrological Service; Research Division, Israeli Water Authority, Jerusalem, Israel

    Michael Zilberbrand

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Youn, S.K., Buchheim, J., Park, H.G. (2014). Confined Water in Carbon Nanotubes and Its Applications. In: Mercury, L., Tas, N., Zilberbrand, M. (eds) Transport and Reactivity of Solutions in Confined Hydrosystems. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7534-3_2

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