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Kamsma TM, Boon WQ, Spitoni C, van Roij R. Unveiling the capabilities of bipolar conical channels in neuromorphic iontronics. Faraday Discuss 2023; 246:125-140. [PMID: 37404026 PMCID: PMC10568261 DOI: 10.1039/d3fd00022b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Conical channels filled with an aqueous electrolyte have been proposed as promising candidates for iontronic neuromorphic circuits. This is facilitated by a novel analytical model for the internal channel dynamics [T. M. Kamsma, W. Q. Boon, T. ter Rele, C. Spitoni and R. van Roij, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2023, 130(26), 268401], the relative ease of fabrication of conical channels, and the wide range of achievable memory retention times by varying the channel lengths. In this work, we demonstrate that the analytical model for conical channels can be generalized to channels with an inhomogeneous surface charge distribution, which we predict to exhibit significantly stronger current rectification and more pronounced memristive properties in the case of bipolar channels, i.e. channels where the tip and base carry a surface charge of opposite sign. Additionally, we show that the use of bipolar conical channels in a previously proposed iontronic circuit features hallmarks of neuronal communication, such as all-or-none action potentials and spike train generation. Bipolar channels allow, however, for circuit parameters in the range of their biological analogues, and exhibit membrane potentials that match well with biological mammalian action potentials, further supporting their potential biocompatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Kamsma
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 6, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - W Q Boon
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - C Spitoni
- Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 6, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - R van Roij
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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2
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Kamsma TM, Boon WQ, Ter Rele T, Spitoni C, van Roij R. Iontronic Neuromorphic Signaling with Conical Microfluidic Memristors. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 130:268401. [PMID: 37450821 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.130.268401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Experiments have shown that the conductance of conical channels, filled with an aqueous electrolyte, can strongly depend on the history of the applied voltage. These channels hence have a memory and are promising elements in brain-inspired (iontronic) circuits. We show here that the memory of such channels stems from transient concentration polarization over the ionic diffusion time. We derive an analytic approximation for these dynamics which shows good agreement with full finite-element calculations. Using our analytic approximation, we propose an experimentally realizable Hodgkin-Huxley iontronic circuit where micrometer cones take on the role of sodium and potassium channels. Our proposed circuit exhibits key features of neuronal communication such as all-or-none action potentials upon a pulse stimulus and a spike train upon a sustained stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Kamsma
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
- Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 6, 3584 CD Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - W Q Boon
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - T Ter Rele
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - C Spitoni
- Mathematical Institute, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 6, 3584 CD Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - R van Roij
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
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3
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Li J, Zhang K, Li D. pH-Regulated Ionic Diode Based on an Asymmetric Shaped Multiple-Layer Polymer Membrane. Anal Chem 2023; 95:1419-1427. [PMID: 36534674 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Smart artificial ion channels with tunable properties have wide applications in many fields to achieve ion transport manipulation. Most reported artificial ions are constructed with vertical structures, limiting the further integration of ionic diodes into complex iontronic systems. Inspired by the asymmetric concentration polarization induced by the asymmetric geometry of nanochannels, a novel method is developed to construct horizontally arranged and pH-regulated ionic diodes in nanofluidic chips by self-assembling pH-responsive polymers. The effects of the fabrication and operation parameters on the performance of the ionic diode are systematically investigated. The current rectification ratio of the ionic diode can be modulated flexibly by regulating the pH conditions of the working fluid. An ionic diode bridge circuit for rectifying alternating current signals is built in a single nanofluidic chip and demonstrated, highlighting the feasibility of the ionic diode for complex iontronic system integration. The method presented in this paper provides a promising platform for the development of smart nanofluidic iontronic devices with widespread applicability in biological analysis, sensing, and logic computing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, OntarioN2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Kaiping Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, OntarioN2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Dongqing Li
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, OntarioN2L 3G1, Canada
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Aarts M, Boon WQ, Cuénod B, Dijkstra M, van Roij R, Alarcon-Llado E. Ion Current Rectification and Long-Range Interference in Conical Silicon Micropores. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:56226-56236. [PMID: 36484483 PMCID: PMC9782324 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c11467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Fluidic devices exhibiting ion current rectification (ICR), or ionic diodes, are of broad interest for applications including desalination, energy harvesting, and sensing, among others. For such applications a large conductance is desirable, which can be achieved by simultaneously using thin membranes and wide pores. In this paper we demonstrate ICR in micrometer sized conical channels in a thin silicon membrane with pore diameters comparable to the membrane thickness but both much larger than the electrolyte screening length. We show that for these pores the entrance resistance is key not only to Ohmic conductance around 0 V but also for understanding ICR, both of which we measure experimentally and capture within a single analytic theoretical framework. The only fit parameter in this theory is the membrane surface potential, for which we find that it is voltage dependent and its value is excessively large compared to the literature. From this we infer that surface charge outside the pore strongly contributes to the observed Ohmic conductance and rectification by a different extent. We experimentally verify this hypothesis in a small array of pores and find that ICR vanishes due to pore-pore interactions mediated through the membrane surface, while Ohmic conductance around 0 V remains unaffected. We find that the pore-pore interaction for ICR is set by a long-ranged decay of the concentration which explains the surprising finding that the ICR vanishes for even a sparsely populated array with a pore-pore spacing as large as 7 μm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Aarts
- Center
for Nanophotonics, AMOLF, Science Park 109, 1098 XGAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Willem Q. Boon
- Institute
for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CCUtrecht, Netherlands
| | - Blaise Cuénod
- Center
for Nanophotonics, AMOLF, Science Park 109, 1098 XGAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Dijkstra
- Soft
Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CCUtrecht, Netherlands
| | - René van Roij
- Institute
for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CCUtrecht, Netherlands
| | - Esther Alarcon-Llado
- Center
for Nanophotonics, AMOLF, Science Park 109, 1098 XGAmsterdam, Netherlands
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Xiang F, Dong M, Zhang W, Liang S, Guan W. Modeling pyramidal silicon nanopores with effective ion transport. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 33:485503. [PMID: 36007456 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac8c9c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
While the electrical models of the membrane-based solid-state nanopores have been well established, silicon-based pyramidal nanopores cannot apply these models due to two distinctive features. One is its 35.3° half cone angle, which brings additional resistance to the moving ions inside the nanopore. The other is its rectangular entrance, which makes calculating the access conductance challenging. Here, we proposed and validated an effective transport model (ETM) for silicon-based pyramidal nanopores by introducing effective conductivity. The impact of half cone angle can be described equivalently using a reduced diffusion coefficient (effective diffusion coefficient). Because the decrease of diffusion coefficient results in a smaller conductivity, effective conductivity is used for the calculation of bulk conductance in ETM. In the classical model, intrinsic conductivity is used. We used the top-down fabrication method for generating the pyramidal silicon nanopores to test the proposed model. Compared with the large error (≥25% in most cases) when using the classical model, the error of ETM in predicting conductance is less than 15%. We also found that the ETM is applicable when the ratio of excess ion concentration and bulk ion concentration is smaller than 0.2. At last, it is proved that ETM can estimate the tip size of pyramidal silicon nanopore. We believe the ETM would provide an improved method for evaluating the pyramidal silicon nanopores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feibin Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Dong
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States of America
| | - Wenchang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Shengfa Liang
- Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Weihua Guan
- School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States of America
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6
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The Dukhin number as a scaling parameter for selectivity in the infinitely long nanopore limit: Extension to multivalent electrolytes. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2022.119072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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7
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Xiang F, Zhang W, Yang X, Liang S. Ionic Current Rectification: A Result of the Series Connection of Nanochannels with Different Dukhin Numbers. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:1779-1786. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c10017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Feibin Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wenchang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xiaonan Yang
- Institute of Intelligent Sensing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Shengfa Liang
- Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
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Vinogradova OI, Silkina EF, Asmolov ES. Enhanced transport of ions by tuning surface properties of the nanochannel. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:035107. [PMID: 34654173 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.035107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Motivated by recent observations of anomalously large deviations of the conductivity currents in confined systems from the bulk behavior, we revisit the theory of ion transport in parallel-plate channels and also discuss how the wettability of a solid and the mobility of adsorbed surface charges impact the transport of ions. It is shown that depending on the ratio of the electrostatic disjoining pressure to the excess osmotic pressure at the walls two different regimes occur. In the thick channel regime this ratio is small and the channel effectively behaves as thick, even when the diffuse layers strongly overlap. The latter is possible for highly charged channels only. In the thin channel regime the disjoining pressure is comparable to the excess osmotic pressure at the wall, which implies relatively weakly charged walls. We derive simple expressions for the mean conductivity of the channel in these two regimes, highlighting the role of electrostatic and electrohydrodynamic boundary conditions. Our theory provides a simple explanation of the high conductivity observed experimentally in hydrophilic channels, and allows one to obtain rigorous bounds on its attainable value and scaling with salt concentration. Our results also show that further dramatic amplification of conductivity is possible if hydrophobic slip is involved, but only in the thick channel regime provided the walls are sufficiently highly charged and most of the adsorbed charges are immobile. However, for weakly charged surfaces the massive conductivity amplification due to hydrodynamic slip is impossible in both regimes. Interestingly, in this case the moderate slip-driven contribution to conductivity can monotonously decrease with the fraction of immobile adsorbed charges. These results provide a framework for tuning the conductivity of nanochannels by adjusting their surface properties and bulk electrolyte concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga I Vinogradova
- Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Science, 31 Leninsky Prospect, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena F Silkina
- Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Science, 31 Leninsky Prospect, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Evgeny S Asmolov
- Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Science, 31 Leninsky Prospect, 119071 Moscow, Russia
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Li J, Li D. A surface charge governed nanofluidic diode based on a single polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanochannel. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 596:54-63. [PMID: 33831750 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.03.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Nanofluidic diodes have attracted intense attention recently. Commonly used materials to design these devices are membrane-based short nanopores and aligned Carbon nanotube bundles. It is highly desirable and very challenging to develop a nanofluidic diode based on a single PDMS nanochannel which is easier to be introduced into an integrated electronic system on a chip. Layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of charged polyelectrolytes can change the size and surface properties of PDMS nanochannels that provides new possibilities to develop high-performance nanofluidic based on PDMS nanochannels. EXPERIMENTS A novel design of nanofluidic diode is presented by controlling the surface charges and sizes of single PDMS nanochannels by surface modification using polyelectrolytes. Polybrene (PB) and Dextran sulfate (DS) are used to reduce the PDMS nanochannel size to meet the requirement of ion gating by LBL method and generate opposite surface charges at the ends of nanochannels. The parameters of such a nanofluidic diode are investigated systematically. FINDINGS This nanofluidic diode developed in this work has high effective current rectification performance. The rectification ratio can be as high as 218 which is the best ever reported in PB/DS modified nanochannels. This rectification ratio reduces with high voltage frequency and ionic concentration whereas increases in shorter nanochannels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Li
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Dongqing Li
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
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Sarkadi Z, Fertig D, Ható Z, Valiskó M, Boda D. From nanotubes to nanoholes: Scaling of selectivity in uniformly charged nanopores through the Dukhin number for 1:1 electrolytes. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:154704. [PMID: 33887923 DOI: 10.1063/5.0040593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Scaling of the behavior of a nanodevice means that the device function (selectivity) is a unique smooth and monotonic function of a scaling parameter that is an appropriate combination of the system's parameters. For the uniformly charged cylindrical nanopore studied here, these parameters are the electrolyte concentration, c, voltage, U, the radius and the length of the nanopore, R and H, and the surface charge density on the nanopore's surface, σ. Due to the non-linear dependence of selectivities on these parameters, scaling can only be applied in certain limits. We show that the Dukhin number, Du=|σ|/eRc∼|σ|λD 2/eR (λD is the Debye length), is an appropriate scaling parameter in the nanotube limit (H → ∞). Decreasing the length of the nanopore, namely, approaching the nanohole limit (H → 0), an alternative scaling parameter has been obtained, which contains the pore length and is called the modified Dukhin number: mDu ∼ Du H/λD ∼ |σ|λDH/eR. We found that the reason for non-linearity is that the double layers accumulating at the pore wall in the radial dimension correlate with the double layers accumulating at the entrances of the pore near the membrane on the two sides. Our modeling study using the Local Equilibrium Monte Carlo method and the Poisson-Nernst-Planck theory provides concentration, flux, and selectivity profiles that show whether the surface or the volume conduction dominates in a given region of the nanopore for a given combination of the variables. We propose that the inflection point of the scaling curve may be used to characterize the transition point between the surface and volume conductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsófia Sarkadi
- Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, P.O. Box 158, H-8201 Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Dávid Fertig
- Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, P.O. Box 158, H-8201 Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Ható
- Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, P.O. Box 158, H-8201 Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Mónika Valiskó
- Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, P.O. Box 158, H-8201 Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Dezső Boda
- Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, P.O. Box 158, H-8201 Veszprém, Hungary
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