A current-voltage response for unipolar conical nanochannel diodes

Permselective nanochannels can rectify the electric current transported through them similar to solid-state diodes. The rectification is due to symmetry breaking related to the distribution of the nanochannels surface charge as well the geometry. Thus far, most of the related works to the asymmetric current response have been primarily experimental. In this talk I will present an analytical solution for the concentration distribution, electric potential and current-voltage relation (I-V) response for a conical shaped nanochannel with a non-homogeneous surface charge. The I-V is shown to behave like a unipolar diode with the rectification depending on the surface charge and geometry with rectification factors of more than O(100). The theoretically predicted results for 1D and 2D systems are confirmed by numerical simulations.