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Quantum

Quantum

Meet the ‘quantum plumbers’ uncovering the mysteries of fluid mechanics at the nanoscale

09 Apr 2024

Nanofluidics could be used to purify water, generate energy and build nanoscale machines. But when water flows through a carbon nanotube, classical fluid mechanics breaks down, leading to puzzling experimental findings that researchers have attributed to an effect called “quantum friction”, as Philip Ball explains

Hexagonal lattice with a beam of light through a hole
Going with the flow The flow of water through carbon nanotubes can be controlled by exploiting the strange quantum effects that emerge at the nanoscale. (Courtesy: Lucy Reading-Ikkanda/Simons Foundation)
If you’re standing under a trickling shower lamenting your low water pressure, a back-of-the-envel

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