title: Towards mimicking natural protein channels with aligned carbon nanotube membranes for active drug delivery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes offer an exciting opportunity to mimic natural protein channels due to 1) a mechanism of dramatically enhanced fluid flow 2) ability to place 'gatekeeper' chemistry at the entrance to pores 3) the ability for biochemical reactions to occur on gatekeeper molecules and 4) an ability to chemically functionalize each side of the membrane independently.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aligned CNT membranes were fabricated and CNT pore entrances modified with gatekeeper chemistry. Pressure driven fluid flow and diffusion experiments were performed to study the mechanisms of transport through CNTs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The transport mechanism through CNT membranes is primarily 1) ionic diffusion near bulk expectation 2) gas flow enhanced 1-2 orders of magnitude primarily due to specular reflection 3) fluid flow 4-5 orders of magnitude faster than conventional materials due to a nearly ideal slip-boundary interface. The transport can be modulated by 'gatekeeper' chemistry at the pore entrance using steric hindrance, electrostatic attraction/repulsion, or biochemical state. The conformation of charged tethered molecules can be modulated by applied bias setting the stage for programmable drug release devices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The membrane structure is mechanically far more robust than lipid bilayer films, allowing for large-scale chemical separations, delivery or sensing based on the principles of protein channels. The performance of protein channels is several orders of magnitude faster than conventional membrane materials. The fundamental requirements of mimicking protein channels are present in the CNT membrane system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington KY 40502-0046, United States.
authors.forename: Mainak
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Majumder
authors.forename: Audra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stinchcomb
authors.forename: Bruce J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Hinds
mesh_terms: D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D004058:Diffusion; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008954:Models, Biological; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000378:metabolism; D016062:Porosity
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations