Department of Biomolecular Engineering, Baskin School of Engineering at University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
Nanoscale. 2013 Oct 7;5(19):9214-21. doi: 10.1039/c3nr02105j. Epub 2013 Aug 12.
Nanofluidic structures share many properties with ligand-gated ion channels. However, actuating ion conductance in artificial systems is a challenge. We have designed a system that uses a carbohydrate-responsive polymer to modulate ion conductance in a quartz nanopipette. The cationic polymer, a poly(vinylpyridine) quaternized with benzylboronic acid groups, undergoes a transition from swollen to collapsed upon binding to monosaccharides. As a result, the current rectification in nanopipettes can be reversibly switched depending on the concentration of monosaccharides. Such molecular actuation of nanofluidic conductance may be used in novel sensors and drug delivery systems.
纳米流控结构与配体门控离子通道有许多共同特性。然而,在人工系统中调节离子电导率是一个挑战。我们设计了一个系统,该系统使用碳水化合物响应性聚合物来调节石英纳米管中的离子电导率。带正电荷的聚合物,即带有苄基硼酸基团的季化聚(4-乙烯基吡啶),在与单糖结合时从溶胀状态转变为塌陷状态。因此,根据单糖浓度,纳米管中的电流整流可以可逆切换。这种纳米流导的分子致动作用可能用于新型传感器和药物输送系统。