An Artificial CO2-Driven Ionic Gate Inspired by Olfactory Sensory Neurons in Mosquitoes

A novel CO2-driven ionic gate, mimicking the function of olfactory sensory neurons of mosquitoes, is successfully developed by functionalizing the walls of the nano-channels using 1-(4-aminophenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoro-ethanone. This artificial nano-channel can switch between the ON-state and OFF-state in the presence and absence of CO2, with an ultra-high gating ratio of up to 1250, and has potential applications in CO2-related sensing, gating, and nanofluidic systems.