We have fabricated a voltage sensor in the form of a conically shaped nanopore in a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foil. The pore is produced by irradiation of the foil with a single heavy ion and subsequent etching in alkaline solution. The resulting pore functions as a voltage gate and rectifies ion current due to changes of its diameter in an electrical field. Ion currents through the pore show voltage-dependent fluctuations, whose kinetics are similar as in voltage-gated biological ion channels and pores.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.