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A nanoscale probe for fluidic and ionic transport

Nature Nanotechnology volume 2, pages 104–107 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Surface science and molecular biology are often concerned with systems governed by fluid dynamics at the nanoscale, where different physical behaviour is expected1,2. With advances in nanofabrication techniques, the study of fluid dynamics around a nano-object or in a nano channel is now more accessible experimentally and has become an active field of research1,3,4,5. However, developing nanoscale probes that can act as flow sensors and that can be easily integrated remains difficult. Many studies demonstrate that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have outstanding potential for nanoscale sensing, acting as strain6,7,8 or charge sensors in chemical9,10,11 and biological12,13,14,15 environments. Although nanotube flow sensors composed of bulk nanotubes have been demonstrated16, they are not readily miniaturized to nanoscale dimensions. Here we report that individual carbon nanotube transistors of ∼2 nm diameter, incorporated into microfluidic channels, locally sense the change in electrostatic potential induced by the flow of an ionic solution. We demonstrate that the nanotube conductance changes in response to the flow rate, functioning as a nanoscale flow sensor.

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Figure 1: Experimental setup for the nanotube-based flow sensor and nanotube transistor conductance versus counterelectrode voltage.
Figure 2: Shift in nanotube transistor threshold voltage with liquid flow rate.
Figure 3: Nanotube transistor threshold shift for different ionic concentrations.
Figure 4: Flow sensor operation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Micro/Nano Fabrication Laboratory at Caltech where the sample fabrication was performed. This work was sponsored by Schlumberger. The work in Lausanne was supported by the Swiss NSF and its NCCR ‘Nanoscale Science’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. California Institute of Technology, Mail Stop 128-95, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA

    Bertrand Bourlon & Marc Bockrath

  2. Schlumberger-Doll Research, 1 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Bertrand Bourlon & Joyce Wong

  3. EPFL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Csilla Mikó & László Forró

Authors
  1. Bertrand Bourlon
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  2. Joyce Wong
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  3. Csilla Mikó
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  4. László Forró
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  5. Marc Bockrath
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Contributions

B.B., J.W. and M.B. conceived and designed the experiments. B.B. and J.W. performed the experiments. B.B., J.W. and M.B. analysed the data. C.M. and L.F. contributed materials (multiwalled nanotubes). B.B., J.W. and M.B. co-wrote the paper. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Marc Bockrath.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Bourlon, B., Wong, J., Mikó, C. et al. A nanoscale probe for fluidic and ionic transport. Nature Nanotech 2, 104–107 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2006.211

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