US Patent 8021967 - Nanoscale wicking methods

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8021967.html

Wicking is the process by which liquids are transported across or along fibers by capillary action. This patent from the California Institute of Technology teaches how to perform wicking on the nanoscale which may be useful to control biomolecular processes. Claim 1 reads:

1. A guided fluid transport method comprising:

providing a plurality of nanoscale fibers disposed in a patterned configuration; and

transporting fluid along the nanoscale fibers,

wherein the nanoscale fibers are disposed in a patterned configuration adapted to allow transport of the fluid in absence of an external power.