Related papers: Beyond steric selectivity of ions using angstrom-s…
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…
Under ambient humidity, water spontaneously condenses in pores only a few nanometers in size, making nanoscale capillarity central to numerous natural phenomena and technological applications. At these dimensions, water may no longer be…
We demonstrate that two mechanisms used by biological ion channels to select particles by size are driven by entropy. With uncharged particles in an infinite cylinder, we show that a channel that attracts particles is small-particle…
Classical molecular dynamics and electro-diffusion theories have achieved profound success in elucidating ion selectivity and gating mechanisms. However, reconciling strict selectivity with high flux permeation in Angstrom-scaled biological…
Two-dimensional crystals with angstrom-scale pores are widely considered as candidates for a next generation of molecular separation technologies aiming to provide extreme, exponentially large selectivity combined with high flow rates. No…
Nonspecific molecular adsorption like airborne contamination occurs on most surfaces including those of 2D materials and alters their properties. While the surface contamination is studied using a plethora of techniques, the effect of…
Ion channels are proteins with holes down their middle that control the flow of ions and electric current across otherwise impermeable biological membranes. The flow of sodium, potassium, calcium (divalent), and chloride ions have been…
There has been tremendous experimental progress in the last decade in identifying the structure and function of biological pores (ion channels) and fabricating synthetic pores. Despite this progress, many questions still remain about the…
Inertial effects should be considered for micro- and nano-swimmers moving in a low-density medium confined by irregular structures that create entropic barriers, where viscous effects are no longer paramount. Here, we present a separation…
Significant success has been achieved in fabricating angstrom-scale artificial solid ionic channels aiming to replicate the biological ion channels (BICs).Besides high selectivity, BICs also exhibit sophisticated ion gating and interplay.…
The permeation, rejection, and transport of electrolytes in water-filled nanopores are critical to ion current gating and desalinalion processes in synthetic porous membranes and the functions of biological ion channels. Mile the effects of…
Partitioning and transport of water and small solutes into and through nanopores is important to a variety of chemical and biological processes and applications. Here we study the partitioning of positive ions of increasing size into the…
Nanoscale films play a central role in biology and osmotic separations. Their water/salt selectivity is often regarded as intrinsic property, favoring thinner membranes for faster permeation. Here we highlight and quantify a fundamental…
Specific molecular interactions underlie unexpected and useful phenomena in nanofluidic systems, but require descriptions that go beyond traditional macroscopic hydrodynamics. In this letter, we demonstrate how equilibrium molecular…
The brain's remarkable and efficient information processing capability is driving research into brain-inspired (neuromorphic) computing paradigms. Artificial aqueous ion channels are emerging as an exciting platform for neuromorphic…
Atoms start behaving as waves rather than classical particles if confined in spaces commensurate with their de Broglie wavelength. At room temperature this length is only about one angstrom even for the lightest atom, hydrogen. This…
In this letter, we describe the capillary sorting of particles by size based on dip coating. A substrate withdrawn from a liquid bath entrains a coating whose thickness depends on the withdrawal speed and the liquid properties. If the…
Membranes are ubiquitous in nature with primary functions that include adaptive filtering and selective transport of chemical and molecular species. Being critical to cellular functions, they are also fundamental in many areas of science…
Multilayer nanoscale systems incorporating buried ultrathin tunnel oxides, 2D materials, and solid electrolytes are crucial for next-generation logics, memory, quantum and neuro-inspired computing. Still, an ultrathin layer control at…
The study of selection and gating in potassium channels is a very important issue in modern biology. Indeed such structures are known in all types of cells in all organisms where they play many important functional roles. The mechanism of…