title: Capillarity-driven flows at the continuum limit.
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.
authors.affiliation: Cornell University, Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ithaca, NY, USA. orv3@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szenicer
authors.forename: Abraham D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Stroock