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Related Concept Videos

Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

91.6K
The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow...
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Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

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Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism....
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Mechanically-gated Ion Channels01:12

Mechanically-gated Ion Channels

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Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...
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Nanochannels as molecular check valves.

Qian Yang1, Xingyu Lin, Yafeng Wang

  • 1Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China. subin@zju.edu.cn.

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|November 23, 2017
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Summary

Researchers developed a novel molecular check valve using modified silica nanoporous membranes. This nanomachine achieves unidirectional molecular transport by combining hydrophobic and electrostatic forces, with potential applications in energy conversion and storage.

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Area of Science:

  • Nanotechnology
  • Materials Science
  • Physical Chemistry

Background:

  • Molecular check valves are crucial nanomachines for controlling unidirectional molecular flow.
  • Existing methods for creating such valves often face limitations in efficiency and control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer a novel molecular check valve with asymmetric nanostructure for controlled unidirectional molecular transport.
  • To investigate the synergistic effects of hydrophobic and electrostatic forces in directing molecular movement.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a silica nanoporous membrane (SNM) with asymmetric modification using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).
  • Generation of hydrophobic nanoorifices on one side of the SNM.
  • Utilizing the combined hydrophobic force from PDMS and electrostatic force from silica nanochannels to achieve directed transport.

Main Results:

  • The fabricated PDMS-SNM demonstrated effective unidirectional transport, primarily allowing positively charged molecules to pass from the PDMS side.
  • Backward transport was successfully prohibited due to the interplay of hydrophobic rejection and electrostatic attraction.
  • The valve's transport could be shut down under specific conditions like high salt concentration or low pH.

Conclusions:

  • The novel PDMS-SNM based molecular check valve offers a promising platform for directed molecular transport.
  • This technology has potential applications in converting fluctuation energy and preventing backflow in energy storage devices like batteries and fuel cells.