Advances in nanofluidic field-effect transistors: external voltage-controlled solid-state nanochannels for stimulus-responsive ion transport and beyond.

Ion channels, intricate protein structures facilitating precise ion passage across cell membranes, are pivotal for vital cellular functions. Inspired by the remarkable capabilities of biological ion channels, the scientific community has ventured into replicating these principles in fully abiotic solid-state nanochannels (SSNs). Since the gating mechanisms of SSNs rely on variations in the physicochemical properties of the channel surface, the modification of their internal architecture and chemistry constitutes a powerful strategy to control the transport properties and, consequently, render specific functionalities. In this framework, both the design of the nanofluidic platform and the subsequent selection and attachment of different building blocks gain special attention. Similar to biological ion channels, functional SSNs offer the potential to finely modulate ion transport in response to various stimuli, leading to innovations in a variety of fields. This comprehensive review delves into the intricate world of ion transport across stimuli-responsive SSNs, focusing on the development of external voltage-controlled nanofluidic devices. This kind of field-effect nanofluidic technology has attracted special interest due to the possibility of real-time reconfiguration of the ion transport with a non-invasive strategy. These properties have found interesting applications in drug delivery, biosensing, and nanoelectronics. This document will address the fundamental principles of ion transport through SSNs and the construction, modification, and applications of external voltage-controlled SSNs. It will also address future challenges and prospects, offering a comprehensive perspective on this evolving field.

Morphology and dynamics of tumor cell colonies propagating in epidermal growth factor supplemented media.

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays a key role in physiological and pathological processes. This work reports on the influence of EGF concentration (c EGF) on the modulation of individual cell phenotype and cell colony kinetics with the aim of perturbing the colony front roughness fluctuations. For this purpose, HeLa cell colonies that remain confluent along the whole expansion process with initial quasi-radial geometry and different initial cell populations, as well as colonies with initial quasi-linear geometry and large cell population, are employed. Cell size and morphology as well as its adhesive characteristics depend on c EGF. Quasi-radial colonies (QRC) expansion kinetics in EGF-containing medium exhibits a complex behavior. Namely, at the first stages of growth, the average QRC radius evolution can be described by a t 1/2 diffusion term coupled with exponential growth kinetics up to a critical time, and afterwards a growth regime approaching constant velocity. The extension of each regime depends on c EGF and colony history. In the presence of EGF, the initial expansion of quasi-linear colonies (QLCs) also exhibits morphological changes at both the cell and the colony levels. In these cases, the cell density at the colony border region becomes smaller than in the absence of EGF and consequently, the extension of the effective rim where cell duplication and motility contribute to the colony expansion increases. QLC front displacement velocity increases with c EGF up to a maximum value in the 2-10 ng ml-1 range. Individual cell velocity is increased by EGF, and an enhancement in both the persistence and the ballistic characteristics of cell trajectories can be distinguished. For an intermediate c EGF, collective cell displacements contribute to the roughening of the colony contours. This global dynamics becomes compatible with the standard Kardar-Parisi-Zhang growth model, although a faster colony roughness saturation in EGF-containing medium than in the control medium is observed.

Estimating diffusion coefficients of probe molecules into polyelectrolyte brushes by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Molecular transport through thin polymer films has become a subject with a variety of challenges and opportunities for chemists, physicists, and material scientists in recent years. The diffusion of probe molecules in and out of macromolecular environments plays a major role in the response of polymer-based sensor materials or the design of time-released drug delivery systems. Obtaining an improved understanding of the relevant dynamic phenomena, like transport of molecular probes, in boundary layers represents a crucial step to develop a clearer picture of the molecular transport processes taking place at interfaces modified with macromolecular assemblies. In this work, we present a new approach based on the derivation of the theoretical impedance transfer function to unambiguously describe the impedance response of gold electrodes modified with poly(methacryloyloxy)-ethyl-trimethyl-ammonium chloride (PMETAC) brushes. We demonstrate that this methodology not only enables the description of the experimental data but also provides insightful information about the dynamics of the diffusion of probe molecules inside the brush. More important, we show the capabilities of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to gather information on a molecular transport process inside the brush under experimental conditions in which other electrochemical techniques are no longer applicable. As such, we consider that this experimental approach constitutes a new and powerful tool to estimate diffusion coefficients of probe molecules into interfacial macromolecular assemblies.

Silver electrodeposition on nanostructured gold: from nanodots to nanoripples.

Silver nanodots and nanoripples have been grown on nanocavity-patterned polycrystalline Au templates by controlled electrodeposition. The initial step is the growth of a first continuous Ag monolayer followed by preferential deposition at nanocavities. The Ag-coated nanocavities act as preferred sites for instantaneous nucleation and growth of the three-dimensional metallic centres. By controlling the amount of deposited Ag, dots of approximately 50 nm average size and approximately 4 nm average height can be grown with spatial and size distributions dictated by the template. The dots are in a metastable state. Further Ag deposition drives the dot surface structure to nanoripple formation. Results show that electrodeposition on nanopatterned electrodes can be used to prepare a high density of nanostructures with a narrow size distribution and spatial order.

Specific zeta-potential response of layer-by-layer coated colloidal particles triggered by polyelectrolyte ion interactions.

The zeta-potential of PSS/PAH and PSS/PDADMAC coated silica particles was studied in the presence of ClO4(-) and H2PO4(-) salts. In the presence of ClO4(-), layer-by-layer (LbL) coated silica particles with PDADMAC as the top layer show a reversal in the surface charge with increasing salt concentration but remain positive in phosphate solutions. LbL particles with PAH as the top layer become, however, negative in the presence of H2PO4(-) but retain their positive charge in the presence of ClO4(-). Charge reversal was explained by specific interaction of ClO4(-) ions with the quaternary amine groups and of H2PO4(-) with the primary amines through hydrogen bonding. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) were employed to study the corresponding layer stability on planar surfaces.