Osmotically-driven transport in carbon nanotube porins.
We report the measurements of transport of ions and uncharged species through carbon nanotube (CNT) porins--short segments of CNTs inserted into a lipid bilayer membrane. Rejection characteristics of the CNT porins are governed by size exclusion for the uncharged species. In contrast, rejection of ionic species is governed by the electrostatic repulsion and Donnan membrane equilibrium. Permeability of monovalent cations follows the general trend in the hydrated ion size, except in the case of Cs(+) ions.
Biology and Biotechnology Division, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , Livermore, California 94550, United States.
Kyunghoon
K
Kim
Jia
J
Geng
Ramya
R
Tunuguntla
Luis R
LR
Comolli
Costas P
CP
Grigoropoulos
Caroline M
CM
Ajo-Franklin
Aleksandr
A
Noy
CNT porins; Molecular transport; carbon nanotubes; ion selectivity; nanopores