Tunable Streaming Current in a pH-Regulated Nanochannel by a Field Effect Transistor

Many experimental results demonstrated that ion transport phenomena in nanofluidic devices are strongly dependent on the surface charge property of the nanochannel. In this study, active control of the surface charge property and the streaming current, generated by a pressure-driven flow, in a pH-regulated nanochannel using a field effect transistor (FET) are analyzed for the first time. Analytical expressions for the surface charge property and the streaming current/conductance have been derived taking into account multiple ionic species, surface chemistry reactions, and the Stern layer effect. The model is validated by the experimental data of the streaming conductance in the silica nanochannel available in the literature. Results show that the pH-dependent streaming conductance of the gated silica nanochannel is consistent with its modulated zeta potential; however, the salt concentration-dependent streaming conductance might be different from the zeta potential behavior, depending on the solution pH and the gate potential imposed. The performance of the field effect modulation of the zeta potential and the streaming conductance is significant for lower solution pH and salt concentration. The results gathered are informative for the design of the next-generation nanofluidics-based power generation apparatus.