Architecting mechanosensitive nanofluidic transport in graphite nanoslits
Abstract
Mechanosensitive ion transport plays a central role in enabling living systems to perceive and adapt to their environment through the deformation of soft, embedded ion channels. In this work, we demonstrate that ion transport within a two-dimensional graphite nanoslit can be rationally engineered to achieve a bipolar, pressure-sensitive response without any structural deformation. The mechanosensitivity arises from the selective charging of one channel inlet, which acts as a reversible source of mobile charge carriers. These excess ions can then be advected in or out of the channel by the pressure-driven water flow, thereby modulating the ionic conductance. This mechanism is captured through a comprehensive electrohydrodynamic model that analytically accounts for coupled diffusion, convection, surface transport, diffusio-osmosis, and interfacial slippage, both inside and outside the nanoslit. The theoretical framework quantitatively reproduces the experimental data, showing that a simple surface charge pattern can give rise to complex, pressure-dependent conductance. These findings reveal how rich nonlinear couplings at the nanoscale can be harnessed to design adaptive, bioinspired nanofluidic systems, exemplified here by ionic pressure sensors.
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BibTeX
@article{lizee2026architecting,
title = {{Architecting mechanosensitive nanofluidic transport in graphite nanoslits}},
author = {Mathieu Lizée and Zhijia Zhang and Baptiste Coquinot and Qian Yang and Lydéric Bocquet},
journal = {Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aed4451},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05767031v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Architecting mechanosensitive nanofluidic transport in graphite nanoslits
AU - Mathieu Lizée
AU - Zhijia Zhang
AU - Baptiste Coquinot
AU - Qian Yang
AU - Lydéric Bocquet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - Science Advances
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aed4451
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05767031v1
AB - Mechanosensitive ion transport plays a central role in enabling living systems to perceive and adapt to their environment through the deformation of soft, embedded ion channels. In this work, we demonstrate that ion transport within a two-dimensional graphite nanoslit can be rationally engineered to achieve a bipolar, pressure-sensitive response without any structural deformation. The mechanosensitivity arises from the selective charging of one channel inlet, which acts as a reversible source of mobile charge carriers. These excess ions can then be advected in or out of the channel by the pressure-driven water flow, thereby modulating the ionic conductance. This mechanism is captured through a comprehensive electrohydrodynamic model that analytically accounts for coupled diffusion, convection, surface transport, diffusio-osmosis, and interfacial slippage, both inside and outside the nanoslit. The theoretical framework quantitatively reproduces the experimental data, showing that a simple surface charge pattern can give rise to complex, pressure-dependent conductance. These findings reveal how rich nonlinear couplings at the nanoscale can be harnessed to design adaptive, bioinspired nanofluidic systems, exemplified here by ionic pressure sensors.
SN - 2375-2548
ER -