Caution: Slippery Nanotubes Ahead

Inside the cells in our body, fluids zip through tiny, nearly frictionless protein channels. Scientists have tried to recreate these tubes, but have found that fluids don't flow as quickly through synthetic structures, partly because they get stuck along the walls.

Now, researchers at the University of Kentucky have developed carbon nanotubes that can channel various fluids nearly friction free. In fact, the walls of these man-made tubes are so slippery that some liquids pass through 10,000 to 100,000 times faster than models predict.

Just seven nanometers in diameter, these tubes are about 1/10,000^th the width of a human hair.

The researchers arranged billions of carbon nanotubes in two-sided membranes - this way each side can have different chemical properties and can keep chemicals on either side separate. Or, the membrane's chemistry could be altered to create an efficient way of delivering drugs through the skin or in specialized chemical sensors.

This research is detailed in the Oct. 3, 2005 issue of the journal Nature.