Transport through nanopores and ion channels in cell membranes exists in virtually all biological cells and is important in such things as the regulation of heart function, nerve signals, and delivery of nutrients to the cell. Nanopores have also started to play a major role in contemporary biotechnology, because many separation and sensing processes require pores with nanometer-sized openings. I will discuss fabrication of synthetic single nanopores with applications in biophysics and nanotechnology. The nanopores that we fabricate by the track-etching technique and e-beam drilling have diameters as small as few nanometers, and they have controlled geometry and surface chemistry. I will show how these nanopores can be used as devices for controlling the flow of ions and charged molecules in a solution, effectively functioning as ionic diodes and ionic transistors. A nanopore with integrated gold layer, which rectifies via gold polarization, will be presented as well. The gold/nanopore system with electrodes placed in the bulk electrolyte on both sides of the membrane allows tuning the pore effective surface charge and local ionic concentrations in the pore by the transmembrane potential. I will also discuss application of mesopores with undulating local diameter to the detection and characterization of particles by size and their mechanical properties.

Transport through pores: From living cells to diodes, transistors, and probing single particles

254th National Meeting (2017)

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