Ionepump

Ionepump, often written as ion pump, is a term used in two broad contexts: biology and vacuum technology. In biology, ion pumps are membrane proteins that move ions across cellular membranes against their electrochemical gradients, using energy from cellular processes. These pumps are essential for maintaining ion homeostasis, membrane potential, and pH regulation. Major families include P-type ATPases, such as Na+/K+-ATPase, which exchanges sodium and potassium ions across the plasma membrane, and Ca2+-ATPases, which sequester calcium ions in intracellular compartments. V-type and F-type ATPases also contribute to proton gradients that power secondary transport and ATP synthesis. Ion pumps are typically highly selective for their substrates and are tightly regulated to respond to cellular conditions.

In vacuum technology, an ion pump (also called an ion getter pump) is a device that helps achieve and maintain ultra-high vacuum by ionizing residual gas molecules and capturing them on a solid surface. Ion pumps use electric fields to accelerate ions toward a getter material, where they are implanted or chemically bound, effectively removing them from the gas phase. Common variants employ titanium or other getter materials and may operate in conjunction with hot filaments to sustain ionization. Ion pumps are used in particle accelerators, electron microscopes, and other systems requiring very low pressures because they have low outgassing rates and require little consumables over time.

Overall, ion pumps describe specialized mechanisms for moving ions, either across biological membranes to sustain cellular function or within vacuum systems to maintain clean, high-vacuum environments.