Challenges
There are a variety of challenges associated with the flow of liquids through carbon nanotubes and nanopipes. A common occurrence is channel blocking due to large macromolecules in the liquid. Also, any insoluble debris in the liquid can easily clog the tube. A solution for this researchers are hoping to find is a low friction coating or channel materials that help reduce the blocking of the tubes. Also, due to the large size of polymers, including biologically relevant molecules such as DNA often fold in vivo. This causes blockage because typical DNA molecules from a virus have lengths of approx. 100-200 kilobases and will form a random coil of the radius some 700 nm in aqueous solution at 20%. This is also several times greater than the pore diameter of even large carbon pipes and 2 orders of magnitude the diameter of a single walled carbon nanotube.
Read more about this topic: Nanofluidics
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