p-n Semiconductor membrane for electrically tunable ion current rectification and filtering.
We show that a semiconductor membrane made of two thin layers of opposite (n- and p-) doping can perform electrically tunable ion current rectification and filtering in a nanopore. Our model is based on the solution of the 3D Poisson equation for the electrostatic potential in a double-cone nanopore combined with a transport model. It predicts that, for appropriate biasing of the membrane-electrolyte system, transitions from ohmic behavior to sharp rectification with vanishing leakage current are achievable. Furthermore, ion current rectifying and filtering regimes of the nanopore correspond to different charge states in the p-n membrane, which can be tuned with appropriate biasing of the n- and p- layers.
Gracheva
Maria E
ME
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA. gracheva@uiuc.edu
Vidal
Julien
J
Leburton
Jean-Pierre
JP
D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010316:Particle Size; D012666:Semiconductors
D008567:Membranes, Artificial