Quantum-Modulated Size Exclusion Chromatography on Linearly Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays: A Theoretical Framework for Tunable Separation

This theoretical paper introduces a paradigm-shifting approach to Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) by utilizing linearly aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as a dynamically tunable stationary phase. Operating in a nanohydrodynamic forced-diffusion regime, the proposed system transcends classical geometric steric exclusion. Instead, it employs external transverse electric and longitudinal magnetic fields to modulate the quantum-mechanical properties of the nanotube matrix via the Stark and Aharonov-Bohm effects. This field-induced modulation alters the local dispersive forces and the effective topological cross-section of traversing analytes, which are treated as localized topological defects within the fluid medium. Our calculations demonstrate that an applied electric field can exponentially tune the retention time of polarizable entities (e.g., yielding a nearly sixfold retention increase for C60 fullerenes). Furthermore, the application of a longitudinal magnetic field induces a virtual chiral environment capable of baseline enantiomeric resolution (separation factor approximately 1.17) without the need for chemically chiral stationary phases. The framework also correlates nanohydrodynamic transport deviations with macroscopic metric compensations (analogous to the W parameter in ion traps), offering a unified, topological perspective on continuous-phase filtration.