Fabrication of nanofluidic diodes with polymer nanopores modified by atomic layer deposition

Surface charge distribution is a crucial factor for the ionic transport properties inside nanopores. Modifying the surface charge inside a single conical nanopore can greatly affect the rectification behavior of the ionic current through the nanopore and afford nanofluidic diodes. In this work, we describe a new method to fabricate nanofluidic diodes by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on conical track-etched nanopores. Thorough investigation of the ionic transport behavior through ALD-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanopores is carried out. Our results demonstrate that ALD is a simple and effective method to modify the inner surface of the polymer nanopores for fabricating nanofluidic devices. In addition, we also investigate the stability of the ALD-modified nanopores, and the results suggest that the long-time stability could be compromised by high voltage applied along the nanopore.