Nanofluidic diode.

We present a nanofluidic diode that at voltage range -5 to +5 V rectifies ion current with degrees of rectification reaching several hundreds. The diode is based on a single asymmetric nanopore whose surface was patterned so that a sharp boundary between positively and negatively charged regions is created. This boundary defines a zone that is enriched with positive and negative ions or creates a depletion zone. The principle of operation of the nanofluidic diode is analogous to that of a bipolar semiconductor diode.