0000000000123133

AUTHOR

Quoc Hung Nguyen

Optical Gating of Photosensitive Synthetic Ion Channels

4-oxo-4-(pyren-4-ylmethoxy) butanoic acid is used as a photolabile protecting group to show the optical gating of nanofluidic devices based on synthetic ion channels. The inner surface of the channels is decorated with monolayers of photolabile hydrophobic molecules that can be removed by irradiation, which leads to the generation of hydrophilic groups. This process can be exploited in the UV-light-triggered permselective transport of ionic species in aqueous solution through the channels. The optical gating of a single conical nanochannel and multichannel polymeric membranes is characterised experimentally and theoretically by means of current-voltage and selective permeation measurements,…

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Metal ion affinity-based biomolecular recognition and conjugation inside synthetic polymer nanopores modified with iron-terpyridine complexes.

Here we demonstrate a novel biosensing platform for the detection of lactoferrin (LFN) via metal-organic frameworks, in which the metal ions have accessible free coordination sites for binding, inside the single conical nanopores fabricated in polymeric membrane. First, monolayer of amine-terminated terpyridine (metal-chelating ligand) is covalently immobilized on the inner walls of the nanopore via carbodiimide coupling chemistry. Second, iron-terpyridine (iron-terPy) complexes are obtained by treating the terpyridine modified-nanopores with ferrous sulfate solution. The immobilized iron-terPy complexes can be used as recognition elements to fabricate biosensing nanodevice. The working pri…

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Current rectification by nanoparticle blocking in single cylindrical nanopores.

Blocking of a charged pore by an oppositely charged nanoparticle can support rectifying properties in a cylindrical nanopore, as opposed to the usual case of a fixed asymmetry in the pore geometry and charge distribution. We present here experimental data and model calculations to confirm this fundamental effect. The nanostructure imaging and the effects of nanoparticle concentration, pore radius, and salt concentration on the electrical conductance–voltage (G–V) curves are discussed. Logic responses based on chemical and electrical inputs/outputs could also be implemented with a single pore acting as an effective nanofluidic diode. To better show the generality of the results, different ch…

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