Nanopump makes its debut -- in theory

From nanotechweb.org: tech update:

Novel design is inspired by living cells. Physicists in China and the UK have put forward a new design for a nanoscale water pump. The device, which is inspired by the structure of channels in living cells, pushes water molecules in one direction thanks to charges on the surface of a nanotube. If made it could find use in a number of important applications, including chemical separation, water purification, sensing and drug delivery. The nanopump, designed in simulations by Haiping Fang and colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, consists of a short single-walled carbon nanotube. Both ends of the tube are embedded in a graphite sheet and the ensemble is placed in a water reservoir. Three charges - two with fractional charges of 0.5e and one with a charge of 1e, where e is the charge on the electron - are placed asymmetrically about the vertical centre of the nanotube.

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