PNP Nanofluidic Transistor with Actively Tunable Current Response and Ionic Signal Amplification

Inspired by electronic transistors, electric field gating has been adopted to manipulate ionic currents of smart nanofluidic devices. Here, we report a PNP nanofluidic bipolar junction transistor (nBJT) consisting of one polyaniline (PANI) layer sandwiched between two polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoporous membranes. The PNP nBJT exhibits three different responses of currents (quasi-linear, rectification, and sigmoid) due to the counterbalance between surface charge distribution and base voltage applied in the nanofluidic channels; thus, they can be switched by base voltage. Four operating modes (cutoff, active, saturation, and breakdown mode) occur in the collector response currents. Under optimal conditions, the PNP nBJT exhibits an average current gain of up to 95 in 100 mM KCl solution at a low base voltage of 0.2 V. The present nBJT is promising for fabrication of nanofluidic devices with logical-control functions for analysis of single molecules.

Smart pH-Modulated Two-Way Photoswitch Based on a Polymer-Modified Single Nanochannel

In this article, we have demonstrated a smart pH-modulated two-way photoswitch that can reversibly switch ion transport under alternating light exposure over a wide pH range. This photoswitch was prepared by functionalizing the interior of a single conical glass nanochannel with a poly-spiropyran-linked methacrylate (P-SPMA) polymer through surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The P-SPMA polymer brushes comprise functional groups that are responsive to light and pH, which can cause configuration and charge changes to affect the properties of the nanochannel wall. The SPMA polymer-modified nanochannel not only reversibly controlled ion transport under alternating light irradiation but also efficiently and flexibly regulated the direction and extent of the ion transport based on the pH. This two-way photoswitch exhibits the considerable potential of photoresponsive polymers for the advancement of "intelligent" bionic nanochannel devices for ion screening and optical sensing in various applications.

Tunable Nanopore Arrays as the Basis for Ionic Circuits

There has been considerable interest in preparing ionic circuits capable of manipulating ionic and molecular transport in a solution. This direction of research is inspired by biological systems where multiple pores with different functionalities embedded in a cell membrane transmit external signals and underlie all physiological processes. In this manuscript, we describe the modeling of ion transport through small arrays of nanopores consisting of 3, 6, and 9 nanopores and an integrated gate electrode placed on the membrane surface next to one pore opening. We show that by tuning the gate voltage and strategically placing nanopores with nonlinear current-voltage characteristics, the local signal at the gate affects ionic transport through all nanopores in the array. Conditions were identified when the same gate voltage induced opposite rectification properties of neighboring nanopores. We also demonstrate that an ionic diode embedded in a nanopore array can modulate transport properties of neighboring pores even without a gate voltage. The results are explained by the role of concentration polarization and overlapping depletion zones on one side of the membrane. The modeling presented here is intended to become an inspiration to future experiments to create nanopore arrays that can transduce signals in space and time.

Engineering Smart Nanofluidic Systems for Artificial Ion Channels and Ion Pumps: From Single-Pore to Multichannel Membranes

Biological ion channels and ion pumps with intricate ion transport functions widely exist in living organisms and play irreplaceable roles in almost all physiological functions. Nanofluidics provides exciting opportunities to mimic these working processes, which not only helps understand ion transport in biological systems but also paves the way for the applications of artificial devices in many valuable areas. Recent progress in the engineering of smart nanofluidic systems for artificial ion channels and ion pumps is summarized. The artificial systems range from chemically and structurally diverse lipid-membrane-based nanopores to robust and scalable solid-state nanopores. A generic strategy of gate location design is proposed. The single-pore-based platform concept can be rationally extended into multichannel membrane systems and shows unprecedented potential in many application areas, such as single-molecule analysis, smart mass delivery, and energy conversion. Finally, some present underpinning issues that need to be addressed are discussed.

Optimizing Energy Transduction of Fluctuating Signals with Nanofluidic Diodes and Load Capacitors

The design and experimental implementation of hybrid circuits is considered allowing charge transfer and energy conversion between nanofluidic diodes in aqueous ionic solutions and conventional electronic elements such as capacitors. The fundamental concepts involved are reviewed for the case of fluctuating zero-average external potentials acting on single pore and multipore membranes. This problem is relevant to electrochemical energy conversion and storage, the stimulus-response characteristics of nanosensors and actuators, and the estimation of the accumulative effects caused by external signals on biological ion channels. Half-wave and full-wave voltage doublers and quadruplers can scale up the transduction between ionic and electronic signals. The network designs discussed here should be useful to convert the weak signals characteristic of the micro and nanoscale into robust electronic responses by interconnecting iontronics and electronic elements.

Bioinspired smart asymmetric nanochannel membranes

Bioinspired smart asymmetric nanochannel membranes (BSANM) have been explored extensively to achieve the delicate ionic transport functions comparable to those of living organisms. The abiotic system exhibits superior stability and robustness, allowing for promising applications in many fields. In view of the abundance of research concerning BSANM in the past decade, herein, we present a systematic overview of the development of the state-of-the-art BSANM system. The discussion is focused on the construction methodologies based on raw materials with diverse dimensions (i.e. 0D, 1D, 2D, and bulk). A generic strategy for the design and construction of the BSANM system is proposed first and put into context with recent developments from homogeneous to heterogeneous nanochannel membranes. Then, the basic properties of the BSANM are introduced including selectivity, gating, and rectification, which are associated with the particular chemical and physical structures. Moreover, we summarized the practical applications of BSANM in energy conversion, biochemical sensing and other areas. In the end, some personal opinions on the future development of the BSANM are briefly illustrated. This review covers most of the related literature reported since 2010 and is intended to build up a broad and deep knowledge base that can provide a solid information source for the scientific community.

The inside-out supercapacitor: induced charge storage in reduced graphene oxide

By turning the standard supercapacitor geometry inside out, an ionic capacitor is made for use in ionic circuits.

Voltage-controlled current loops with nanofluidic diodes electrically coupled to solid state capacitors

Nanofluidic diodes electrically coupled to solid state capacitors show electrical properties reminiscent of a resistor with memory.