Nanotransport

Nanotransport is the study and application of transport processes at the nanometer scale, involving the movement of ions, molecules, and nanoparticles through nanoscale channels, membranes, and materials. It covers both natural processes in biology and engineered systems in nanofluidics, nanomedicine, and materials science.

Transport at the nanoscale is governed by diffusion, Brownian motion, and electrokinetic effects, with additional control through selective channels and gates. Confinement, surface charge, and chemical functionalization influence permeability and ion selectivity in both biological pores and synthetic devices.

Technologies include nanofluidic devices that transport liquids through channels narrower than a few hundred nanometers, nanopores for single-molecule sensing and sequencing, and nanocarriers such as liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles for targeted delivery. External fields and responsive materials enable active control.

Applications include biosensing, medical diagnostics, desalination and water purification, energy storage, and drug delivery. Notable examples include nanopore sequencing and ion-transport membranes that exploit size, charge, and gating to discriminate species.

Research combines experiments with modeling, including molecular dynamics and continuum approaches to ion transport. Key challenges are achieving reliable selectivity and flux, integration into scalable devices, and addressing safety and biocompatibility concerns.