Work

Tuning SWCNT Length to Optimize the Rate–Efficiency–Stability Triad in Nanofluidic Water Channels

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This work shows that the length of single-walled carbon nanotubes is critical in governing the trade-off among the rate, efficiency, and stability of pressure-driven water transport. A critical length of 1.06 nm marks the transition in the transport mechanism from a thermal-fluctuation-dominated regime to an ordered water-chain mode. This transition is driven by the evolution of the potential of mean force with tube length, which progresses from a flat landscape to a high-barrier profile and ultimately forms a low-resistance tunnel in long nanotubes. Notably, this tunnel endows the water chain with an enhanced ability to restore its continuity, allowing it to bridge fracture gaps as wide as 7 Å even in the absence of an external pressure difference. These insights reveal a length-dependent mechanism that could revolutionize CNT-hydrogel hybrids for biomedical applications.

Source: Molecules

DOI: 10.3390/molecules30234548

Authors: Shu-Peng Wang, Qi-Lin Zhang, Zhi-Jun Ma, Ju-Xiang Li, Zhen-Yan Lu, Rong-Yao Yang

Institutions: Hunan University of Science and Technology, Anhui Polytechnic University, Sun Yat-sen University

Language: English

Topic: Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies

Subfield: Biomedical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,258

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities