Pressure Modulation of Fluidic Patterns Inside the Nanochannel for Two States of Ionic Conductance

This work numerically reveals a novel strategy to modulate two ionic conductance state in a nanochannel via pressure-dependent fluidic motion inside the channel. Steady and transient simulations based on Poisson–Nernst–Planck–Stokes equations demonstrate that the two states with distinct ionic conductance and ion selectivity can be reversibly switched by external pressure, with a characteristic time of ~100 μs. Furthermore, the two conductance states are found to depend on the transversal electric field, which gives rise to two distinct intrachannel fluidic flow patterns, namely laminar flow and vortex flow, respectively. This finding suggests the potential of pressure-controlled ionic conductance switching for applications in nanofluidic ionic circuits, flow-regulated sensing, and integrated micro/nanoscale devices. It also provides insights into nonlinear ionic current–voltage behaviors.