Document DOI: 10.1209/epl/i2002-00271-3
Europhys. Lett., 60 (3) , pp. 349-355 (2002)
Rectification and voltage gating of ion currents in a nanofabricated pore
Z. Siwy1, 2, Y. Gu3, H. A. Spohr3, D. Baur2, A. Wolf-Reber2, R. Spohr2, P. Apel4 and Y. E. Korchev31 Silesian University of Technology - Strzody 9, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
2 Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) Planckstr.1, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany
3 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Hammersmith Campus Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
4 Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, JINR - 141980 Dubna, Russia
Z.Siwy@gsi.de
(Received 27 May 2002; accepted in final form 19 August 2002)
Abstract
We have fabricated a voltage sensor in the form of a conically
shaped nanopore in a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foil. The
pore is produced by irradiation of the foil with a single heavy
ion and subsequent etching in alkaline solution.
The resulting pore functions as a voltage gate
and rectifies ion current due to changes of its diameter in an
electrical field. Ion currents through the pore show
voltage-dependent fluctuations, whose kinetics are similar as in
voltage-gated biological ion channels and pores.
05.60.-k - Transport processes.
81.16.-c - Methods of nanofabrication and processing.
81.07.De - Nanotubes.
© EDP Sciences 2002