Dynamics of capillary absorption of droplets by carbon nanotubes

We consider the capillary absorption of liquid metal droplets by carbon nanotubes using molecular dynamics simulations and the steady-state flow model due to Marmur [A. Marmur, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 122, 209 (1988)]. We find an exact solution to Marmur's evolution equation for the height of the absorbed liquid column as a function of time, and show that this reproduces the dynamics observed in the simulations well. The simulations show that the flow of the metal exhibits a large degree of slippage at the tube walls, with slip lengths of up to 10 nm depending on the wettability of the nanotube. The results support the use of the Lucas-Washburn approach for modeling capillary absorption at the nanoscale.