Nanodevice for charged particle flow and method for producing same

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus having a nanodevice for controlling the flow of charged particles in an electrolyte. Such apparatus comprises an electrolytic bath container divided by a polymeric foil into a first and a second compartment, wherein each compartment comprises an electrode connected to a voltage supply. Further the apparatus comprises at least one asymmetric pore forming a via hole through said foil, wherein said pore provides a narrow opening of a diameter in the range of several nanometers down to about one nanometer on a front side of said foil and a wide opening in the range of several ten nanometers up to several hundred nanometers on a back side of said foil. Further, the apparatus comprises an electrically conductive layer surrounding said narrow opening on said front side and a gate voltage supply connected to said electrically conductive layer on said front side of said foil controlling the flow of charged particles within said nanodevice from said first compartment to said second compartment vice versa. The invention further relates to a method for producing such a nanodevice.

1 . An apparatus having a nanodevice for charged particles flow comprising: 
 (a) an electrolytic bath container, divided by a polymeric foil into a first and a second compartment, wherein each compartment comprises an electrode connected to a direct current voltage (U1) supply;    (b) at least one asymmetric pore forming a via hole through said foil, wherein said pore provides a narrow opening of a diameter in a range of about one nanometer to several nanometers on a front side of said foil, and a wide opening in a range of ten nanometers to several hundred nanometers on a back side of said foil;    (c) an electrically conductive layer surrounding said narrow opening on said front side; and    (d) a gate voltage (U2) supply connected to said electrically conductive layer on said front side of said foil controlling the flow of charged particles within said nanodevice from said first compartment to said second compartment and vice versa.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said asymmetric pore is a conical pore.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said asymmetric pore is a funnel-like pore from said wide opening toward said narrow opening.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said asymmetric pore is a straight trumpet-like pore from said narrow opening toward said wide opening.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said foil comprises polyethylene terephthalate.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said foil comprises polyimide.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said foil comprises polycarbonate.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said nanodevice is cation selective.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said electrically conductive layer comprises gold.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said electrically conductive layer comprises indium oxide.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said electrically conductive layer is a gate electrode.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said back side of said foil is covered by an electrically conductive layer surrounding said wide opening.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said nanodevice is applied to control or to switch on and off a charged particle flow of heavy ions, ions of macromolecules, ions of bio-molecules, ionized dimeric, ionized oligomeric or ionized polymeric DNA or ionized insulin.  
     
     
         14 . A method of making the nanodevice apparatus of  claim 1 , the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) irradiating a membrane of a polymeric foil by at least one highly accelerated ion to form an ion trace through said foil;    (b) etching said ion trace from a back side of said foil toward a front side of said foil to form a pore having a wide opening on said back side and a narrow opening on said front side in a range of about one nanometer to several nanometers;    (c) drying said etched foil;    (d) depositing an electrically conductive layer on said front side by diminishing the narrow opening;    (e) reopening said narrow opening to a predetermined diameter by etching said conductive layer from its back side.    
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a single bismuth ion is accelerated to an energy in the range of 10 to 15 MeV and irradiated toward said polymeric foil to form said ion trace.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein step (b) further comprises etching said ion trace by a caustic solution.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said caustic solution comprises 9 m NaOH.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein step (b) further comprises etching said ion trace at room temperature.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said deposition is carried out by sputtering a metal or a semiconductor on to said front side.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising roughening said front side of said foil before etching said ion trace.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein said membrane is inserted in an electrolytic cell comprising two cell halves filled with a KF solution and being divided by said membrane and sealed hermetically to etch said ion trace.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a conductive tape is attached to the conductive layer before said reopening of said narrow opening is performed.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said foil covered on its front side by a conductive tape is reentered to said electrolytic cell, which cell halves are now filled with NaF.