Issue 4, 2008

Electrokinetics induced asymmetric transport in polymeric nanonozzles

Abstract

The asymmetric geometry of polymeric nanonozzles provides two different transport directions: a converging direction (from the large opening to the small opening) and a diverging direction (from the small opening to the large opening). Asymmetric transport was observed in such nanochannels for both rigid polystyrene nanoparticles and flexible DNA molecules under a DC electric bias. Small, hard nanoparticles migrate easily in the diverging direction and tend to pack inside the nanochannel in the converging direction. In contrast, large, flexible DNA molecules transport better in the converging direction than in the diverging direction. A high electric field and a high velocity gradient along the tapered region produce different geometric constrictions and vortex-like particle motions for rigid nanoparticles, and also generate various coil-stretching dynamics for DNA molecules. Such nanonozzle arrays are useful in high flux and high sieving efficiency devices for biomolecule delivery or separation, and for loading trace amounts of drugs or genes for controlled drug and gene delivery.

Graphical abstract: Electrokinetics induced asymmetric transport in polymeric nanonozzles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Dec 2007
Accepted
04 Feb 2008
First published
05 Mar 2008

Lab Chip, 2008,8, 573-581

Electrokinetics induced asymmetric transport in polymeric nanonozzles

S. Wang, X. Hu and L. J. Lee, Lab Chip, 2008, 8, 573 DOI: 10.1039/B719410B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements