Capillarity-driven flows at the continuum limit.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27444407.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1039/c6sm00733c.
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Abstract
We experimentally investigate the dynamics of capillary-driven flows at the nanoscale, using an original platform that combines nanoscale pores (⋍3 nm in diameter) and microfluidic features. In particular, we show that drying involves a fine coupling between thermodynamics and fluid mechanics that can be used to generate precisely controlled nanoflows driven by extreme stresses - up to 100 MPa of tension. We exploit these tunable flows to provide quantitative tests of continuum theories (e.g. Kelvin-Laplace equation and Poiseuille flow) across an unprecedented range and we isolate the breakdown of continuum as a negative slip length of molecular dimension. Our results show a coherent picture across multiple experiments including drying-induced permeation flows, imbibition and poroelastic transients.