Experimental Nanofluidics: device architectures based on carbon nanopipes (revised)

实验纳米流体在纳米尺度上理解和控制流体流动是当前非常感兴趣的课题。最近的模拟研究发现了意想不到的结果，这一行为最近得到了实验证实。特别是，气体和液体通过孔隙的传输已经被测量到比传统理论预测的要快三个数量级。这一发现对我们理解流体在很小的长度范围内的行为以及设计应用于医疗诊断、医疗、传感和材料分离的纳米流体装置都具有重要的意义。流体通过碳纳米管和纳米管中心孔的流动将是主要焦点。重点是基础实验工作的计划，旨在了解基础科学，探索相关技术的关键应用，并开发制造和评估原型纳米流体设备的早期能力。本申请的前一部分详细确定了五个目标：1)制造非多孔材料2)流体流动的特征3)与纳米粒子的相互作用4)设备架构的探索5)与生物学家的合作这个27个月的项目将由计算和理论纳米流体领域的先驱N Quirke教授指导。实验工作将在帝国理工学院化学系进行。该项目团队的一个不同寻常的特点是实验者和理论家之间的密切合作，特别是在使用分子建模技术来指导设计和提供双向反馈方面。在这项申请中要求的资金主要包括消耗品、小型设备和电子显微镜时间。这将大大加快现有团队所能实现的进展速度，并提高英国在一个重要的新领域的科学产出。该项目是与RGB Research合作的，RGB Research是一家总部位于伦敦的中小企业，正在开发纳米材料应用。

Experimental NanofluidicsUnderstanding and controlling fluid flow at the nanoscale is a subject of intense current interest. Recent simulation studies have found unexpected results and this behaviour has recently been confirmed experimentally. In particular, transport of gases and liquids through pores < 2 nm has been measured to occur more than three orders of magnitude more rapidly than predicted by conventional theory. This discovery has significant implications, both for our understanding of how fluids behave at very small length scales and for the design of nanofluidic devices with application in medical diagnosis, medical therapy, sensing and materials separation.The research outlined in this proposal is centred on these emerging phenomena in nanofluidics. The flow of fluids through the central pores of carbon nanotubes and nanopipes will be the primary focus. The emphasis is on a program of basic experimental work aimed at understanding the underlying science, exploring key applications of the associated technology and developing an early stage capability for fabricating and evaluating prototype nanofluidic devices.Five objectives are identified as detailed in the previous section of this application:1) Fabrication of nonporous materials2) Characterisation of fluid flow3) Interaction with nanoparticles4) Exploration of device architectures5) Collaboration with biologistsThis 27 month project will be directed by Prof N Quirke, a pioneer in computational and theoretical nanofluidics. The experimental work will be carried out in the Chemistry Department at Imperial College. An unusual feature of the project team is close collaboration between experimentalists and theoreticians, particularly in using molecular modeling techniques to guide design and provide bidirectional feedback.The funding that is requested in this application primarily covers consumables, small items of equipment and electron microscope time. It will significantly accelerate the rate of progress that can be achieved by an established team and enhance UK science output in an important new field. The project is a collaboration with RGB Research, an SME based in London developing nanomaterials applications.