The way fluids flow into and fill nanopores is of interest to physicists, chemists, engineers and biologists. Nanoscale flow is dominated by surface properties and these can be studied directly using molecular simulation of model systems. Likewise the changes induced in biological systems by nanomaterials are relevant both to drug delivery and to toxicological response. In previous work we have considered equilibrium, steady state and transient flow in carbon nanopores as well as their response to dispersion in aqueous solutions. Recently we have extended our work to polymer surfaces such as PDMS including the effect of oxidation on aqueous flows. As a prelude to systematic studies of nanotoxicology we have also modeled the effect of carbon bucky balls on monolayers of the lung surfactant DPC.

In this lecture we review key results concerning flow in nanopores and membrane response to nanomaterials from theory, simulation and experiment. See for example:

S. Supple and N. Quirke, Rapid imbibition of fluids in carbon nanotubes, Physical Review Letters 90, 214501 (2003).

V. P. Sokhan, D Nicholson and N. Quirke, Transport properties of nitrogen in single walled carbon nanotubes J Chem Phys, 120, 3855 (2004).

S. Supple and N. Quirke, Nanocapillarity: II: Density profile and molecular structure for decane in carbon nanotubes, J Chem Phys 122, 104706 (2005)

M. Longhurst and N. Quirke, Environmental effects on the radial breathing modes of carbon nanotubes in water, J Chem Phys 124, 234708 (2006)

M. Longhurst and N. Quirke, Pressure dependence of the radial breathing mode of carbon nanotubes: The effect of fluid adsorption, Physical Review Letters 98, 145503 (2007)

M. Whitby and N Quirke, Fluid flow in carbon nanotubes and nanopipes, Nature Nanotechnology 2, 87 (2007)