Ionic Current Rectification in a Conical Nanopore: Influences of Electroosmotic Flow and Type of Salt

The influence of electroosmotic flow (EOF) on the behavior of the ionic current rectification (ICR) in a conical nanopore connecting two large identical reservoirs is investigated. In particular, the effect of the type of salt is examined by considering LiCl, NaCl, and KCl. We show that neglecting EOF is capable of influencing ICR both quantitatively and qualitatively. If EOF is neglected, the rectification factor at each level of the applied electric potential bias across the two reservoirs for the case of LiCl (KCl) is always the largest (smallest). However, if EOF is taken into account, the relative magnitude of the rectification factors for various salts depends upon the level of the applied electric potential bias. This behavior is consistent with the experimental observation in the literature and can be explained by the degree of ion enrichment/depletion in a nanopore.