An Electrically Actuated, Carbon-Nanotube-Based Biomimetic Ion Pump

Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are well-established transporters of electronic current, electrolyte, and ions. In this work, we demonstrate an electrically actuated biomimetic ion pump by combining these electronic and nanofluidic transport capabilities within an individual SWCNT device. Ion pumping is driven by a solid-state electronic input, as Coulomb drag coupling transduces electrical energy from solid-state charge along the SWCNT shell to electrolyte inside the SWCNT core. Short-circuit ionic currents, measured without an electrolyte potential difference, exceed 1 nA and scale larger with increasing ion concentrations through 1 M, demonstrating applicability under physiological (∼140 mM) and saltwater (∼600 mM) conditions. The interlayer coupling allows ionic currents to be tuned with the source-drain potential difference and electronic currents to be tuned with the electrolyte potential difference. This combined electronic-nanofluidic SWCNT device presents intriguing applications as a biomimetic ion pump or component of an artificial membrane.