Ion transport by gating voltage to nanopores produced via metal-assisted chemical etching method

In this work, we report a simple and low-cost way to create nanopores that can be employed for various applications in nanofluidics. Nano sized Ag particles in the range from 1 to 20 nm are formed on a silicon substrate with a de-wetting method. Then the silicon nanopores with an approximate 15 nm average diameter and 200 μm height are successfully produced by the metal-assisted chemical etching method. In addition, electrically driven ion transport in the nanopores is demonstrated for nanofluidic applications. Ion transport through the nanopores is observed and could be controlled by an application of a gating voltage to the nanopores.