Interaction-driven giant electrostatic modulation of ion permeation in atomically small capillaries.

ABSTRACT: Manipulating the electrostatic double layer and tuning the conductance in nanofluidic systems at salt concentrations of 100 mM or higher has been a persistent challenge. The primary reasons are (i) the short electrostatic proximity length, ~ 3-10 Å, and (ii) difficulties in fabricating atomically small capillaries. Here, we successfully fabricate in-plane vermiculite laminates with transport heights of ~ 3-5 Å, which exhibit a cation selectivity close to 1 even at a 1000 mM concentration, suggesting an overlapping electrostatic double layer. For gate voltages from -2 V to +1 V, the K⁺-intercalated vermiculite shows a remarkable conductivity modulation exceeding 1400% at a 1000 mM KCl concentration. The gated ON/OFF ratio is mostly unaffected by the ion concentration (10-1000 mM)

SUBMITTER: Biswabhusan D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12480520 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature