Improved model of ionic transport in 2-D MoS2 membranes with sub-5 nm pores

Abstract

Solid-state nanopores made of two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide are of great interest thanks in part to promising applications such as ion filtration and biomolecule translocation. Controlled fabrication and tunability of nanoporous membranes require a better understanding of their ionic conductivity capabilities at the nanoscale. Here, we developed a model of ionic conductivity for a KCl electrolyte through sub 5-nm single-layer MoS2 nanopores using equilibrium all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. We investigate the dynamics of K+ and Cl− ions inside the pores in terms of concentration and mobility. We report that, for pore dimensions below 2.0 nm, which are of particular interest for biomolecule translocation applications, the behaviors of the concentration and mobility of ions strongly deviate from bulk properties. Specifically, we show that the free-energy difference for insertion of an ion within the pore is proportional to the inverse surface area of the pore and that the inverse mobility scales linearly as the inverse diameter. Finally, we provide an improved analytical model taking into account the deviation of ion dynamics from bulk properties, suitable for direct comparison with experiments.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jan 14, 2019
Source ID
10.1063/1.5061825

Entities

People

  • Adrien Nicolaï
  • Maria Daniela Barrios Pérez
  • Marija Drndić
  • Patrice Delarue
  • Patrick Senet
  • Vincent Meunier

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Emerging Frontiers Office
  • Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne
  • Regional council of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • University of Pennsylvania

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Quantum Chemistry
  • Surface Engineering/Surface Coating Technology.