L2C - Laboratoire Charles Coulomb

ANR IONESCO : Coupling between ionic and electronic transport in single-walled carbon nanotubes

ANR IONESCO (2019-2023)

Project coordinator :

  • François Henn, L2C, Montpellier

Partners :

  • L2C, Université de Montpellier
  • Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, Université Paul Sabatier-Toulouse 3
  • Laboratoire de Nanomédecine, Imagerie, Thérapeutique, Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon

Project goal :

The transport of matter inside nanometer-diameter channels is marked by the appearance of new phenomena (confinement, friction, interaction with surface charges, steric or electrostatic exclusion) that are of central importance but still poorly understood.

Figure 1: Schematic representation of the devices produced (a and b); SEM image of SWCNTs synthesised by CVD on a quartz substrate (c); optical microscopy image of the reservoirs created by etching (d) and photograph of the assembly with the PDMS cover.

Our expertise in CVD synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes and a whole range of microelectronics techniques in clean rooms enables us to manufacture nanofluidic microdevices incorporating a single nanotube placed between two reservoirs (Fig. 1).

Using these unique devices and electrical measurements (ionic and electronic currents), we can study the transport of water or electrolyte within the nanotube.

This work provides a better understanding of the fundamental processes involved at this scale (Fig. 2) and contributes to the development of applications in the fields of water treatment, energy generation by osmotic pressure differential, detection of single/isolated molecules, and beyond that, a whole range of potential uses in the field of iontronics.

Figure 2 : (a) Picture illustrating the effect of the dielectric mismatch between the nanopore confined electrolyte and the medium surrounding the CNT. (b) Comparison of the theoretical conductivity of a slightly charged cylindrical nanopore vs. the salt concentration in the reservoirs Cb (blue: R=0.7 nm, σ=0.5 mC/m2, red: R=1.2 nm, σ=0.3 mC/m2) using the mean-field approach (dashed lines, the black dotted line corresponds to the bulk conductivity) and the approach developed in Ref. 41, which takes into account both hard core volume effects and dielectric exclusion (theoretically computed points, lines are guides for the eye), but not the Born self-energy because we have assumed that the confined and bulk electrolytes have the same dielectric constant. The matrix (or membrane) dielectric constant is 〖ϵ(matrix)〗_ =2, much lower than the bulk water value 〖ϵ(bulk)〗_ =ϵ(pore)=78 (see Fig. 2a). Clearly these non-specific dielectric effects lead to a substantial decrease of the conductivity at intermediate reservoir salt concentrations (5 < Cb < 500 mmol/L) to values lower than in the bulk, revealing a faster descent to the low salt concentration (Good Co-ion Exclusion) plateau. This kind of dielectric induced descent could potentially be misinterpreted as being due to surface regulation charge effects, underscoring the subtlety in disentangling the various physical and physio-chemical mechanisms at play in ionic transport through nanopores.

References :

  • “Ultra-Low Noise Measurements of Ionic Transport Within Individual Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes” L. Bsawmaii, C. Delacou, V. Kotok, S. Meance, K. Saada, A. Kribeche, S. Tahir, C. Roblin, M. Manghi, J. Palmeri, F. Henn, A. Noury, and V. Jourdain, Archives/Nanoscale (soumis)
  • “SU8 based microfluidic chip sealing material with high water pressure leak resistance, long-term stability, and vacuum compatibility” S. Pashayev, R. Lhermerout, C. Roblin, E. Alibert, J. Barbat, R. Desgarceaux, R. Jelinek, E. Chauveau, S. Tahir, V. Jourdain, R. Jabbarov, F. Henn, and A. Noury, Microfluidics and Nanofluidics 2024, 28, art.25
  • “Influence of the Quantum Capacitance on Electrolyte Conductivity through Carbon Nanotubes”, T. Hennequin, M. Manghi, A. Noury, F. Henn, V. Jourdain, & J. Palmeri, J. Phys. Chem. Letters 2024, 15, 2177-2183
  • “Impact of the single walled carbon nanotube functionalization on the ion and water molecules transport at the nanoscale” A. Mejri, N. Arroyo, G. Herlem, J. Palmeri, M. Manghi, F. Henn, and F. Picaud, Nanomaterials 2024, 14(1), 117
  • “Physical interactions tune the chemisorption of polar anions on carbon nanostructures” A. Hasmy, L. Rincon, A. Noury, F. Henn, and V. Jourdain, J. Phys. Chem. C 2022, 126 (31), 13349–13357
  • “Ionic Conductance of Carbon Nanotubes: Confronting Literature Data with Nanofluidic Theory” M. Manghi, J. Palmeri, F. Henn, A. Noury, F. Picaud, G. Herlem & V. Jourdain; J. Phys. Chem. C 2021, 125 (42) 22943–22950.
  • « Role of charge regulation and flow slip on the ionic conductance of nanopores: an analytical approach”, M. Manghi, J. Palmeri, K. Yazda, F. Henn and V. Jourdain, Phys. Rev. E, 98 (1), 2018, 2605
  • “Voltage-activated ionic transport through single-walled carbon nanotubes” K. Yazda, Sa. Tahir, T. Michel, B. Loubet, M. Manghi, J. Bentin, F. Picaud, J. Palmeri, F. Henn, V. Jourdain, Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 11976
  • “Ionic and Molecular Transport Inside Carbon Nanotubes: Towards the Detection of Individual Biomolecules” K. Yazda, S. Tahir, T. Michel, F. Henn & V. Jourdain, Biophysical. J. 110, 2017, 503-503