Featured
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| Open AccessRewritable printing of ionic liquid nanofilm utilizing focused ion beam induced film wetting
With a helium focused ion beam, an ionic liquid can undergo induced wetting to flow into a desired pattern on a surface in a controllable, rewriteable manner. Combined with electrochemical deposition, patterned solid materials can be produced.
- Haohao Gu
- , Kaixin Meng
- & Hao Wang
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| Open AccessElectricity generation from carbon dioxide adsorption by spatially nanoconfined ion separation
Nanogenerators have promising applications in energy and environment-related fields. Here, the authors developed Nanosheet-Agarose Hydrogel generators to enable near-perfect anion/cation separation, leading to simultaneously CO2 adsorption and energy generation.
- Zhuyuan Wang
- , Ting Hu
- & Xiwang Zhang
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| Open AccessElastocapillarity-driven 2D nano-switches enable zeptoliter-scale liquid encapsulation
In this work, authors demonstrate programmable nanostructures using two-dimensional materials for nanoscale liquid manipulation. The nanoswitches and capsules can hold zeptoliter liquid volumes, enabling active nanofluidics circuits and confined reactors.
- Nathan Ronceray
- , Massimo Spina
- & Slaven Garaj
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| Open AccessHydrophobically gated memristive nanopores for neuromorphic applications
Designing efficient nanoscale and adaptable bioinspired memristors remains a challenge. Here, the authors develop a bioinspired hydrophobically gated memristive nanopore capable of learning, forgetting, and retaining memory through an electrowetting mechanism.
- Gonçalo Paulo
- , Ke Sun
- & Alberto Giacomello
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| Open AccessTwo-dimensional MXene membranes with biomimetic sub-nanochannels for enhanced cation sieving
Membranes with fast and selective separation of ions are universally desired in many applications. Here, authors inspired by biological potassium ion channels have constructed an MXene based biomimetic ion channel membrane to achieve efficient separation of ions.
- Rongming Xu
- , Yuan Kang
- & Xiwang Zhang
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| Open AccessScalable trapping of single nanosized extracellular vesicles using plasmonics
Manipulation of nano-sized extracellular vesicles are of significant interest for disease detection, monitoring, and therapeutics, yet it is still challenging to expedite the process. Here, the authors presented geometry-induced electrohydrodynamic tweezers, which enable fast parallel transport and trapping of single vesicle within seconds.
- Chuchuan Hong
- & Justus C. Ndukaife
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| Open AccessNanoconfinement enabled non-covalently decorated MXene membranes for ion-sieving
'Covalent modification, while tuning the channel size and functionality, disrupts the structure of 2D membranes. Here the authors demonstrate controllable and selective mass transport, via nondisruptive non-covalent modification of sub-1-nm MXene channels, enabled by nanoconfinement effect.
- Yuan Kang
- , Ting Hu
- & Xiwang Zhang
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| Open AccessHierarchical triphase diffusion photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical gas/liquid flow conversion
Addressing mass and electron transfer challenges hinders practical application of photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices. Here, authors report a simulation-guided development of hierarchical triphase diffusion photoelectrodes, achieving an improved mass transfer and ensuring electron transfer for PEC gas/liquid flow conversion.
- Xiangyu Meng
- , Chuntong Zhu
- & Yujie Xiong
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Article
| Open AccessEnhanced osmotic transport in individual double-walled carbon nanotube
Carbon nanotubes are promising candidates for transport of ions and charges, but the response of carbon nanotubes under osmotic forcings is not well explored. Here the authors report enhanced ion-specific osmotic transport in individual double-walled carbon nanotubes.
- Guandong Cui
- , Zhi Xu
- & Ming Ma
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| Open AccessSwitchable biomimetic nanochannels for on-demand SO2 detection by light-controlled photochromism
Conventional nanochannel sensors are passively responsive and may be slowly damaged by analytes present in the environment before detection. Here, authors developed a light-controlled inert/active-switchable biomimetic nanochannel sensor to achieve SO2 on-demand detection and long-term preservation.
- Dan Zhang
- , Yongjie Sun
- & Xuanjun Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessOptomechanical measurement of single nanodroplet evaporation with millisecond time-resolution
Understanding the behaviors of droplets at nanoscales is crucial to many applications, yet it remains experimentally challenging to track them in real time. Here, Sbarra et al. use a miniature optomechanical resonator to probe the evaporation dynamics of attoliter droplets with millisecond resolution.
- Samantha Sbarra
- , Louis Waquier
- & Ivan Favero
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Article
| Open AccessMultifunctional graphene heterogeneous nanochannel with voltage-tunable ion selectivity
Nanoporous 2D materials have shown promising potential for ion sieving applications due to their physical and chemical properties. Here authors develop a heterogeneous graphene-based polyethylene terephthalate nanochannel with ion sieving ability that is controlled by adjusting the applied voltage.
- Shihao Su
- , Yifan Zhang
- & Jianming Xue
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Article
| Open AccessConfinement anisotropy drives polar organization of two DNA molecules interacting in a nanoscale cavity
A nanofluidic model system is used to explore how polymer interactions between large dsDNA molecules can give rise to self-organizing behavior in compartments with controlled anisotropy. The reported findings may help explain the observed non-uniform distribution of plasmids in E. coli.
- Zezhou Liu
- , Xavier Capaldi
- & Walter Reisner
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| Open AccessSustainable power generation for at least one month from ambient humidity using unique nanofluidic diode
Energy harvesting of humidity present in air can be used for the development of clean energy sources and self-sustained systems. The authors propose a nanofluid energy conversion system with integrated ionic diode-type hybrid membrane for energy generation in environmental moisture.
- Yong Zhang
- , Tingting Yang
- & Qi-Chang He
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| Open AccessOpen-channel microfluidics via resonant wireless power transfer
Open microfluidics enables precise positioning of liquid sample with direct channel access. Here, authors demonstrate a geometrical solution for actively manipulating open microchannels using a wireless radio frequency signal.
- Christopher T. Ertsgaard
- , Daehan Yoo
- & Sang-Hyun Oh
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| Open AccessBiomimetic KcsA channels with ultra-selective K+ transport for monovalent ion sieving
Materials for the selective transport of K+ have application in a variety of fields including water desalination and separation processes. Here the authors report charged porous subnanometer cages that are inspired in biological KcsA channels; high K+ transport rates and high K+/Li+ and K+/Na+ selectivity ratios are obtained, showing great potential in advanced sieving processes and efficient water treatments.
- Weiwen Xin
- , Jingru Fu
- & Liping Wen
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| Open AccessHydrodynamic manipulation of nano-objects by optically induced thermo-osmotic flows
The manipulation of nano-objects in liquid environments is relevant for sensor systems, chemical design, and screening in medical applications. The authors propose an approach to manipulate nano-objects based on nanoscale hydrodynamic boundary flows induced by optical heat generation.
- Martin Fränzl
- & Frank Cichos
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| Open AccessSelective transport of water molecules through interlayer spaces in graphite
Here the authors expanded interlayer spaces in graphite by intercalating aqueous KCl ions utilizing an electric field. It exhibited salt rejection efficiencies >99% and high water permeation rates, a property very useful for desalination.
- Saini Lalita
- , Nemala Siva Sankar
- & Kalon Gopinadhan
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| Open AccessUnidirectional ion transport in nanoporous carbon membranes with a hierarchical pore architecture
Ion transport through nano channels can exhibit intriguing non-linear behaviour. Here, Chen et al. fabricate a hierarchical system of sandwiched carbon membranes of wide and narrow pores with substantial enhancement in rectification ratio of the ionic current, adjustable by optical triggers.
- Lu Chen
- , Bin Tu
- & Kai Xiao
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| Open AccessWater friction in nanofluidic channels made from two-dimensional crystals
Flow through nanometer scale channels facilitates an unmasked study of water-surface molecular interactions. Here, Keerthi et al. show with conduits made from graphite and hexagonal boron nitride that strong hydrophobicity does not rule out enhanced stickiness and friction.
- Ashok Keerthi
- , Solleti Goutham
- & Boya Radha
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| Open AccessTowards explicit regulating-ion-transport: nanochannels with only function-elements at outer-surface
Function elements are key components for nanochannel systems for artificial regulation of ion transport. Here, the authors investigate the independent role of function elements at the outer surface of nanochannel systems, without function elements at inner walls, in promoting osmotic energy conversion and biochemical sensing.
- Qun Ma
- , Yu Li
- & Fan Xia
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| Open AccessEvaporation-driven transport-control of small molecules along nanoslits
Nanofluidic channels offer the possibility to process small molecules or colloids, but transport control meets serious challenges. Seo et al. use evaporation-driven advective flow to establish a versatile manipulation scheme of the fluid carrier, disposing of external connectors.
- Sangjin Seo
- , Dogyeong Ha
- & Taesung Kim
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| Open AccessNeuromorphic van der Waals crystals for substantial energy generation
Controlling ion transport in nanofluidics is fundamental to numerous material applications but designing a material for ion selection is challenging. Here the authors report a confined van der Waals graphene oxide membrane as cation selective channel for energy generation inspired by neuron electromotive force.
- Sungsoon Kim
- , Sangjin Choi
- & Wooyoung Shim
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| Open AccessHigh-frequency gas effusion through nanopores in suspended graphene
Atomically thin porous graphene is promising for filtration and sieving applications. Here the authors, using a laser-actuated micro-drum device of bilayer graphene with controlled number of nanopores, and measuring the permeation rate of different gases, show that it can also be used for permeation-based sensing.
- I. E. Rosłoń
- , R. J. Dolleman
- & P. G. Steeneken
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| Open AccessDrop impact printing
Printing small droplets for a wide range of applications remains a challenge. Here, the authors propose a simple drop-on-demand printing technique which replaces the use of a nozzle with a sieve, enabling printing of nanoparticle suspension with 71% mass-loading, performed for surface tension range of 72–32 mNm-1 and viscosity up to 33 mPas.
- Chandantaru Dey Modak
- , Arvind Kumar
- & Prosenjit Sen
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| Open AccessSize and surface charge characterization of nanoparticles with a salt gradient
Exosomes are used as disease biomarkers, but their characterization in biological samples is challenging. Here the authors achieve simultaneous characterization of size and zeta potential of individual nanoparticles and particle mixtures at physiological salinity conditions, exploiting a salt gradient in a capillary channel.
- Martin K. Rasmussen
- , Jonas N. Pedersen
- & Rodolphe Marie
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| Open AccessImproved osmotic energy conversion in heterogeneous membrane boosted by three-dimensional hydrogel interface
Heterogeneous membranes show great promise in harvesting the osmotic energy, but the performance is limited by the low interfacial transport efficiency. Here, the authors report use of a three-dimensional polyelectrolyte gel interface to achieve high-performance osmotic energy conversion.
- Zhen Zhang
- , Li He
- & Lei Jiang
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| Open AccessDimension-reconfigurable bubble film nanochannel for wetting based sensing
Dimensions and the surface properties of the nanochannels are vital to the functions and applications of nano-fluidic devices. Here Ma et al. studied the film thickness of a Bretherton bubble in a microcapillary and demonstrate the liquid film can be used for label-free biosensing.
- Yu Ma
- , Miao Sun
- & Yanbo Xie
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| Open AccessPiezophototronic gated optofluidic logic computations empowering intrinsic reconfigurable switches
Designing optofluidic nano/microsystems to realize large-scale Boolean circuits remains a challenge. Here, the authors propose a flexible optofluidic framework to perform binary computations with an integrated piezophototronic mechanism controlling the optofluidic switching of logic gates (PPOF).
- Yuvasree Purusothaman
- , Nagamalleswara Rao Alluri
- & Sang-Jae Kim
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Article
| Open AccessPlant leaves inspired sunlight-driven purifier for high-efficiency clean water production
Natural leaves can purify water under sunlight through a combination of osmotic pressure, transpiration, and guttation effects. Here the authors design a composite material mimicking these combined effects, achieving sunlight-driven pure water production from brine with high collection rate.
- Hongya Geng
- , Qiang Xu
- & Chun Li
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| Open AccessPhoto-induced ultrafast active ion transport through graphene oxide membranes
Ionic transport through subnanometer-sized channels in 2D material-based membranes can be exploited for energy and separation applications. Here the authors demonstrate the visible light activation of an ultrafast ionic flux against a concentration gradient in graphene oxide membranes.
- Jinlei Yang
- , Xiaoyu Hu
- & Wei Guo
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| Open AccessAir separation with graphene mediated by nanowindow-rim concerted motion
Graphene with nanowindows can have 1000 times higher permeability and four times the selectivity for air separation than conventional membranes, Vallejos-Burgos et al. reveal by molecular simulation, due to flexibility at the nanoscale and thermal vibrations of the nanowindows' functional groups.
- Fernando Vallejos-Burgos
- , François-Xavier Coudert
- & Katsumi Kaneko
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| Open AccessUnexpected behaviors in molecular transport through size-controlled nanochannels down to the ultra-nanoscale
Transport through nanochannels is usually dominated by electrostatic interactions and depends on the charge of diffusing molecules. Here the authors show that for channel heights between 2 and 4 nanometers, transport is insensitive to molecule charge.
- Giacomo Bruno
- , Nicola Di Trani
- & Alessandro Grattoni
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| Open AccessWafer-scale integration of sacrificial nanofluidic chips for detecting and manipulating single DNA molecules
The wide use of microfluidics for biological analysis demands scalable preparation methods, yet in practice it is very challenging. Here, Wanget al. show a wafer-scale fabrication of nanofluidic chips with single-digit nanometre dimension, which is compatible with standard semiconductor processing.
- Chao Wang
- , Sung-Wook Nam
- & Qinghuang Lin
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| Open AccessHydrodynamic dispensing and electrical manipulation of attolitre droplets
Dispensing small droplets is essential to many ink printing, chemical and biological technologies, but the conventional orifice-based methods fail when the size of droplets approaches sub-micrometre range. Here, Zhang et al.show dispensing of viscous droplets down to attolitre in a controllable way.
- Yanzhen Zhang
- , Benliang Zhu
- & Gunther Wittstock
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| Open AccessCapillarity ion concentration polarization as spontaneous desalting mechanism
The great demand for freshwater for sustaining life on Earth calls for smart solutions to purify ocean water with minimal energy consumption. Here, Park et al. show a passive desalination method via ion concentration polarization generated by capillary-driven flow through ion-selective hydrogels.
- Sungmin Park
- , Yeonsu Jung
- & Sung Jae Kim
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Self-assembled two-dimensional nanofluidic proton channels with high thermal stability
Two-dimensional materials can be used to construct nanofluidic channels to study molecular transport. Here the authors report a lamellar membrane constructed from exfoliated layers of a clay mineral, which exhibits high proton conductivity and extraordinary thermal stability.
- Jiao-Jing Shao
- , Kalyan Raidongia
- & Jiaxing Huang
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| Open AccessSubcontinuum mass transport of condensed hydrocarbons in nanoporous media
Shale gas and oil are trapped in nanoscale porous networks of ultra-low permeability. Here, the authors develop a molecular model of alkane transport through nanoporous materials, showing that the mechanisms controlling flow at the nanoscale lead to a simple scaling of permeance with hydrocarbon size and density.
- Kerstin Falk
- , Benoit Coasne
- & Lydéric Bocquet
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Cracking-assisted photolithography for mixed-scale patterning and nanofluidic applications
Cracks in material are not always unwanted; sometimes, they can be manipulated to produce micro and nanoscale patterns. Here, Kim et al. report a cracking-assisted nanofabrication technique based on conventional photolithography process, which allows accurate control over the geometry of the nanopatterns in arbitrary shape.
- Minseok Kim
- , Dogyeong Ha
- & Taesung Kim
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Growth dynamics and gas transport mechanism of nanobubbles in graphene liquid cells
Nanobubbles in liquid phase are puzzling, because their internal pressure is estimated to be unphysically large. Here, Shin et al. visualize the dynamics of nanobubbles in water encapsulated by graphene membrane and show fast gas diffusion through ultrathin water layer between two coalescing bubbles.
- Dongha Shin
- , Jong Bo Park
- & Konstantin S Novoselov
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Replication of flexible polymer membranes with geometry-controllable nano-apertures via a hierarchical mould-based dewetting
Free-standing membranes are widely used as device templates, but their fabrication is limited to silicon-based materials nowadays. Cho et al. introduce a hierarchical mould-based dewetting approach to generate soft polymeric membranes with controllable multiple levels of nano-apertures over large areas.
- Hyesung Cho
- , Junsoo Kim
- & Kahp-Yang Suh
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Field-effect reconfigurable nanofluidic ionic diodes
Nanofluidic diodes are utilized for the rectification of ionic transport, but their rectifying properties cannot be altered after the devices are made. Here, a field-effect reconfigurable nanofluidic diode is reported in which the forward direction and the degree of rectification can be modulated by a gate voltage.
- Weihua Guan
- , Rong Fan
- & Mark A. Reed