Multifunctional graphene heterogeneous nanochannel with voltage-tunable ion selectivity

Shihao Su, Yifan Zhang, Shengyuan Peng, Linxin Guo, Yong Liu, Engang Fu, Huijun Yao, Jinlong Du, Guanghua Du () and Jianming Xue ()
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Shihao Su: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University
Yifan Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University
Shengyuan Peng: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University
Linxin Guo: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University
Yong Liu: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University
Engang Fu: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University
Huijun Yao: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jinlong Du: Electron Microscopy Laboratory, School of Physics, Peking University
Guanghua Du: Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jianming Xue: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Ion-selective nanoporous two-dimensional (2D) materials have shown extraordinary potential in energy conversion, ion separation, and nanofluidic devices; however, different applications require diverse nanochannel devices with different ion selectivity, which is limited by sample preparation and experimental techniques. Herein, we develop a heterogeneous graphene-based polyethylene terephthalate nanochannel (GPETNC) with controllable ion sieving to overcome those difficulties. Simply by adjusting the applied voltage, ion selectivity among K+, Na+, Li+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ of the GPETNC can be immediately tuned. At negative voltages, the GPETNC serves as a mono/divalent ion selective device by impeding most divalent cations to transport through; at positive voltages, it mimics a biological K+ nanochannel, which conducts K+ much more rapidly than the other ions with K+/ions selectivity up to about 4.6. Besides, the GPETNC also exhibits the promise as a cation-responsive nanofluidic diode with the ability to rectify ion currents. Theoretical calculations indicate that the voltage-dependent ion enrichment/depletion inside the GPETNC affects the effective surface charge density of the utilized graphene subnanopores and thus leads to the electrically controllable ion sieving. This work provides ways to develop heterogeneous nanochannels with tunable ion selectivity toward broad applications.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32590-9

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