Mechanical and Electrical Engineering College, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China.
CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.
Electrophoresis. 2023 Dec;44(23):1847-1858. doi: 10.1002/elps.202300073. Epub 2023 Jul 4.
In recent years, researchers have made significant strides in understanding the ion transport characteristics of nanochannels, resulting in the development of various materials, modifications, and shapes of nano ion channel membranes. The aim is to create a nanochannel membrane with optimal ion transport properties and high stability by adjusting factors, such as channel size, surface charge, and wettability. However, during the nanochannel film fabrication process, controlling the geometric structures of nanochannels can be challenging. Therefore, exploring the stability of nanochannel performance under different geometric structures has become an essential aspect of nanochannel design. This article focuses on the study of cylindrical nanochannel structures, which are categorized based on the different methods for generating bipolar surface charges on the channel's inner surface, either through pH gradient effects or different material types. Through these two approaches, the study designed and analyzed the stability of ion transport characteristics in two nanochannel models under varying geometric structures. Our findings indicate that nanochannels with bipolar properties generated through pH gradients demonstrate more stable ion selection, whereas nanochannels with bipolar properties generated through different materials show stronger stability in ion rectification. This conclusion provides a theoretical foundation for future nanochannel designs.
近年来，研究人员在理解纳米通道的离子输运特性方面取得了重大进展，由此开发出了各种具有不同材料、修饰和形状的纳米离子通道膜。其目的是通过调整通道大小、表面电荷和润湿性等因素，来制造具有最佳离子输运性能和高稳定性的纳米通道膜。然而，在纳米通道膜的制造过程中，控制纳米通道的几何结构可能具有挑战性。因此，探索不同几何结构下纳米通道性能的稳定性已成为纳米通道设计的重要方面。本文重点研究了圆柱形纳米通道结构，根据在通道内表面上产生双极表面电荷的不同方法对其进行分类，这些方法包括 pH 梯度效应或不同材料类型。通过这两种方法，研究设计并分析了在不同几何结构下两种纳米通道模型中离子输运特性的稳定性。我们的研究结果表明，通过 pH 梯度产生双极特性的纳米通道在离子选择方面表现出更稳定的性能，而通过不同材料产生双极特性的纳米通道在离子整流方面表现出更强的稳定性。这一结论为未来的纳米通道设计提供了理论基础。
