posted on 2017-10-03, 00:00authored byYouguo Yan, Wen Li, Petr Král
Multilayer
superstructures based on stacked layered nanomaterials offer the possibility
to design three-dimensional (3D) nanopores with highly specific properties
analogous to protein channels. In a layer-by-layer design and stacking,
analogous to molecular printing, superstructures with lock-and-key
molecular nesting and transport characteristics could be prepared.
To examine this possibility, we use molecular dynamics simulations
to study electric field-driven transport of ions through stacked porous
graphene flakes. First, highly selective, tunable, and correlated
passage rates of monovalent atomic ions through these superstructures
are observed in dependence on the ion type, nanopore type, and relative
position and dynamics of neighboring porous flakes. Next, enantioselective
molecular transport of ionized l- and d-leucine
is observed in graphene stacks with helical nanopores. The outlined
approach provides a general scheme for synthesis of functional 3D
superstructures.