The ability of the ESEM to condense and evaporate liquids has enabled the in situ dynamic study of condensation, evaporation and transport of water inside carbon nanotubes. It has been possible to see liquid menisci inside straight, CVD-fabricated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) having disordered walls. From the measured contact angles, it is clear that these CNTs are hydrophilic. Complex meniscus shapes and slow liquid dynamics due to water confinement and strong interaction with tube walls have been observed.

The use of carbon nanomaterials in various applications requires precise control of their surface and bulk properties. In this paper, we present a strategy for modifying the surface chemistry, wettability, and electrical conductivity of carbon tubes and films through annealing in a vacuum. Experiments were conducted with 60-300 nm nanotubes (nanopipes), produced by noncatalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in a porous alumina template, and with thin films deposited by the same technique on a glassy carbon substrate having the same structure and chemistry of the CNTs. The surface of the as-produced CVD-carbon, treated with sodium hydroxide to remove the alumina template, is hydrophilic, and the bulk electrical conductivity is lower by a factor of 20 than that of fully graphitic multiwalled nanotubes (MWNT) or bulk graphite. The bulk electrical conductivity increases to the conductivity of graphite after annealing at 2000°C in a high vacuum. The analysis of CNTs by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy shows the ordering of carbon accompanied by an exponential increase of the in-plane crystallite size, L a , with increasing annealing temperature. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) was used to study the interaction of CNT with water, and contact angle measurements performed using the sessile drop method on CVDcarbon films demonstrate that the contact angle increases nearly linearly with increasing annealing temperature.

The antimicrobial activity of 20 10% (v/v) solutions in ethanol of terpenes and terpenoids at several concentrations was tested against Erwinia amylovora NCPPB 595 in the liquid medium 523. The test organism responded differently to the chemicals. At 600, 900 and 1200 mg/l, none of the compounds reduced the growth of the bacterium. At 1500 mg/l, only some of the chemicals significantly inhibited growth x‐Pinene. β‐terpinene, dihydrocarveol, isopulegol and linalool reduced growth of suspensions of 1 × 103 cfu/ml, whereas β‐pinene was more effective when challenged with larger numbers of cells (i.e. 1 × 105 cfu/ml and 1 × 107 cfu/ml). At 1500 mg/l, geraniol and citronellol exerted a bactericidal activity regardless of the concentrations of the test organism.

"Induction and measurement of minute flow rates through nanopipes" (2007). Departmental Papers (MEAM). 79. http://repository.upenn.edu/meam_papers/79 Induction and measurement of minute flow rates through nanopipes AbstractA simple technique to simultaneously induce fluid flow through an individual nanopipe and measure the flow rate and the pressure difference across the pipe is described. Two liquid drops of different sizes are positioned at the two ends of the nanopipe. Due to the higher capillary pressure of the smaller drop, flow is driven from the smaller drop to the bigger drop. The instantaneous pressures of the two drops are estimated from the drops' shapes and sizes. The flow rate is estimated by monitoring the sizes of the drops as functions of time with a microscope and a video camera. A theory that correlates the drops' sizes and the flow rate is derived. Measurements are carried out with an ionic salt and glycerin to estimate the effective tube radius of the nanopipes with diameters ranging from 200 to 300 nm. The tubes' diameters are independently measured with a scanning electron microscope. The method is also verified by tracking the motion of fluorescent particles through the nanopipe. The paper provides a simple technique for studying extremely low flow rates in nanofluidic systems. When working with low-evaporation fluids such as ionic salts, the measurements can be carried out with an electron microscope. A simple technique to simultaneously induce fluid flow through an individual nanopipe and measure the flow rate and the pressure difference across the pipe is described. Two liquid drops of different sizes are positioned at the two ends of the nanopipe. Due to the higher capillary pressure of the smaller drop, flow is driven from the smaller drop to the bigger drop. The instantaneous pressures of the two drops are estimated from the drops' shapes and sizes. The flow rate is estimated by monitoring the sizes of the drops as functions of time with a microscope and a video camera. A theory that correlates the drops' sizes and the flow rate is derived. Measurements are carried out with an ionic salt and glycerin to estimate the effective tube radius of the nanopipes with diameters ranging from 200 to 300 nm. The tubes' diameters are independently measured with a scanning electron microscope. The method is also verified by tracking the motion of fluorescent particles through the nanopipe. The paper provides a simple technique for studying extremely low flow rates in nanofluidic systems. When working with low-evaporation fluids such as ionic salts, the measurements can be carried out with an electron microscope.