Abstract
I will present our work in the direction of combining mechanical resonator and nanofluidic channel with a carbon nanotube.
First, I will discuss how mechanical resonators will allow to answer, experimentally, open questions in the nanofluidic community about the structure of water, the phase diagram and the mechanism behind the fast flow observed in carbon nanotube. Second, I will show that SU8 microfluidic allows to combine antagonist worlds of fluidics (ambient pressure) and mechanics (secondary vacuum). Such devices can sustain large water pressure up to 5 bars and do not degrade over time. Porosity of SU8 is equal or better to PDMS, the standard in fluidics. Moving to carbon nanotube nanomechanical resonators, I will show that they exhibit exquisite mass sensitivity down to 70 yg, even at room temperature. This feature is observed in several devices, making it a reliable asset. I will discuss the limitations to the sensitivity in terms of thermomechanical noise, frequency fluctuations, etc.
Finally, I will demonstrate that electrons in carbon nanotubes can distinguish water adsorbed on the surface of the nanotube from water confined inside the nanotube.
Again, this feature is reproducible in several devices and independent of the metallicity of the nanotube.
