How the geometric configuration and the surface charge distribution influence the ionic current rectification in nanopores

Asymmetrical properties of ion transport have been found in single conical nanopores and partly charged nano-channels. Recently, nanofluidic diodes based on this novel phenomenon have been fabricated. To generally understand the mechanism of the ionic current rectification, we study the ionic electric behaviours in several kinds of nanopores based on Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations. The calculated results show that for a partly charged nanopore, the geometry of the uncharged section, which might have been overlooked previously, has a substantial influence on current rectification. In addition, surface charge distribution is also an influential factor in current rectification. In particular, for a long homogeneously charged conical nanopore, the electrical and geometric properties of the section near the nanopore tip with a length of hundreds of nanometres are mainly responsible for the ionic current rectification. This result is consistent with the results of recent experiments on nanofluidic diodes.