Issue 13, 2012

A hydrophobic entrance enhances ion current rectification and induces dewetting in asymmetric nanopores

Abstract

Hydrophobic interactions and local dewetting of hydrophobic cavities have been identified as a key mechanism for ionic gating in biological voltage-gated channels in a cell membrane. Hydrophobic interactions are responsible for rectification of the channels, i.e. the ability to transport ions more efficiently in one direction compared to the other. We designed single polymer nanopores with a hydrophobic gate on one side in the form of a single layer of C10 or C18 thiols. This nanoporous system behaves like an ionic diode whose direction of rectification is regulated by the pH of the electrolyte. In addition, reversible dewetting of the hydrophobic region of the pore was observed as voltage-dependent ion current fluctuations in time between conducting and non-conducting states. The observations are in accordance with earlier molecular dynamics simulations, which predicted the possibility of spontaneous and reversible dewetting of hydrophobic pores.

Graphical abstract: A hydrophobic entrance enhances ion current rectification and induces dewetting in asymmetric nanopores

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Nov 2011
Accepted
23 Jan 2012
First published
07 Mar 2012

Analyst, 2012,137, 2944-2950

A hydrophobic entrance enhances ion current rectification and induces dewetting in asymmetric nanopores

M. Pevarnik, K. Healy, M. Davenport, J. Yen and Z. S. Siwy, Analyst, 2012, 137, 2944 DOI: 10.1039/C2AN16139G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements