Electrical network of nanofluidic diodes in electrolyte solutions: Connectivity and coupling to electronic elements

•Nanopore networks with simple connectivity are designed using conical pores acting as nanofluidic diodes.•Full-wave rectification characteristics are demonstrated with square,sinusoidal, and white noise input waveforms.•The charging of a load capacitor shows that the nanofluidic network is effectively coupled to this electronic element.•The nanofluidic resistances can be modulated by external signals and used in nanopore-based sensing devices.

We consider a nanopore network with simple connectivity, demonstrating a two-dimensional circuit (full-wave rectifier) with ensembles of conical pores acting as nanofluidic diodes. When the bridge nanopore network is fed with an input potential signal of fluctuating polarity, a fixed output polarity is obtained. The full-wave rectification characteristics are demonstrated with square, sinusoidal, and white noise input waveforms. The charging of a load capacitor located between the two legs of the bridge demonstrates that the nanofluidic network is effectively coupled to this electronic element. These results can be relevant for energy transduction and storage procedures with nanopores immersed in electrolyte solutions. Because the individual nanofluidic resistances can be modulated by chemical, electrical, and optical signals, the balanced bridge circuit can also be useful to miniaturize nanopore-based sensing devices.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide