Fluids at the Nanoscale: From Continuum to Subcontinuum Transport

Nanofluidics has firmly established itself as a new field in fluid mechanics, as novel properties have been shown to emerge in fluids at the nanometric scale. Thanks to recent developments in fabrication technology, artificial nanofluidic systems are now being designed at the scale of biological nanopores. This ultimate step in scale reduction has pushed the development of new experimental techniques and new theoretical tools, bridging fluid mechanics, statistical mechanics, and condensed matter physics. This review is intended as a toolbox for fluids at the nanometer scale. After presenting the basic equations that govern fluid behavior in the continuum limit, we show how these equations break down and new properties emerge in molecular-scale confinement. A large number of analytical estimates and physical arguments are given to organize the results and different limits.

Automated summary

Nanofluidics has become a new field in fluid mechanics, exploring novel properties in fluids at the nanoscale; Recent advancements in fabrication technology have led to the design of artificial nanofluidic systems at the scale of biological nanopores, driving the development of new experimental techniques and theoretical tools; This review serves as a toolbox for studying fluids at the nanometer scale, presenting basic equations, breakdown of equations, and emergence of new properties in molecular-scale confinement.