• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2021

The fabrication of nanopore membrane by deposition of Al2O3 film using electron-beam evaporation, which is fast, cost-effective, and negligible dependency on substance material, is investigated for potential applications in water purification and sensors. The decreased nanopore diameter owing to increased wall thickness is observed when Al2O3 film is deposited on anodic aluminum oxide membrane at higher deposition rate, although the evaporation process is generally known to induce a directional film deposition leading to the negligible change of pore diameter and wall thickness. This behavior can be attributed to the collision of evaporated Al2O3 particles by the decreased mean free path at higher deposition rate condition, resulting in the accumulation of Al2O3 materials on both the surface and the edge of the wall. The reduction of nanopore diameter by Al2O3 film deposition can be applied to the nanopore membrane fabrication with sub-100 nm pore diameter.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.359-366
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• 2012

Nanopore DNA sequencing is an emerging and promising technique that can potentially realize the goal of a low-cost and high-throughput method for analyzing human genome. Especially, solid-state nanopores have relatively high mechanical stability, simple surface modification, and facile fabrication process without the need for labeling or amplification of PCR (polymerized chain reaction) in DNA sequencing. For these advantages of solid-sate nanopores, the use of solid-state nanopores has been extensively considered for developing a next generation DNA sequencing technology. Solid-state nanopore sequencing technique can determine and count charged molecules such as single-stranded DNA, double-stranded DNA, or RNA when they are driven to pass through a membrane nanopore between two electrolytes of cis-trans chambers with applied bias voltage by measuring the ionic current which varies due to the existence of the charged particles in the nanopore. Recently, many researchers have suggested that nanopore-based sensors can be competitive with other third-generation DNA sequencing technologies, and may be able to rapidly and reliably sequence the human genome for under $1,000.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2024

The flow in a nanopore of filtration membrane is often multiscale and consists of both the adsorbed layer flow and the intermediate continuum fluid flow. There is a controversy on which interface the slippage should occur in the nanopore filtration: On the adsorbed layer-pore wall interface or on the adsorbed layer-continuum fluid interface? What is the difference between these two slippage effects? We address these subjects in the present study by using the multiscale flow equations incorporating the slippage on different interfaces. Based on the limiting shear strength model for the slippage, it was found from the calculation results that for the hydrophobic pore wall the slippage surely occurs on the adsorbed layer-pore wall interface, however for the hydrophilic pore wall, the slippage can occur on either of the two interfaces, dependent on the competition between the interfacial shear strength on the adsorbed layer-pore wall interface and that on the adsorbed layer-continuum fluid interface. Since the slippage on the adsorbed layer-pore wall interface can be designed while that on the adsorbed layer-continuum fluid interface can not, the former slippage can result in the flux through the nanopore much higher than the latter slippage by designing a highly hydrophobic pore wall surface. The obtained results are of significant interest to the design and application of the interfacial slippage in nanoporous filtration membranes for both improving the flux and conserving the energy cost.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.313-320
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• 2022

Theoretical calculation results are presented for the enhancement of the water mass flow rate through the hydrophobic micro/nano pores in the membrane respectively on the micrometer and nanometer scales. The water-pore wall interfacial slippage is considered. When the pore diameter is critically low (less than 1.82nm), the water flow in the nanopore is non-continuum and described by the nanoscale flow equation; Otherwise, the water flow is essentially multiscale consisting of both the adsorbed boundary layer flow and the intermediate continuum water flow, and it is described by the multiscale flow equation. For no wall slippage, the calculated water flow rate through the pore is very close to the classical hydrodynamic theory calculation if the pore diameter (d) is larger than 1.0nm, however it is considerably smaller than the conventional calculation if d is less than 1.0nm because of the non-continuum effect of the water film. When the driving power loss on the pore is larger than the critical value, the wall slippage occurs, and it results in the different scales of the enhancement of the water flow rate through the pore which are strongly dependent on both the pore diameter and the driving power loss on the pore. Both the pressure drop and the critical power loss on the pore for starting the wall slippage are also strongly dependent on the pore diameter.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.187-187
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• 2012

In this report, the plasmonic nanopores of less than 5 nm diameter were fabricated on the apex of the pyramidal cavity array. The metallic pyramidal pit cavity can also utilized as the plasmonic bioreactor, and the fabricated Au or Al metallic nanopore can provide the controllable translocation speed down using the plasmonic optical force. Initially, the SiO2 nanopore on the pyramidal pit cavity were fabricated using conventional microfabrication techniques. Then, the metallic thin film was sputter-deposited, followed by surface modification of the nanometer thick membrane using FESEM, TEM and EPMA. The huge electron intensity of FESEM with ~microsecond scan speed can provide the rapid solid phase surface transformation. However, the moderate electron beam intensity from the normal TEM without high speed scanning can only provide the liquid phase surface modification. After metal deposition, the 100 nm diameter aperture using FIB beam drilling was obtained in order to obtain the uniform nano-aperture. Then, the nanometer size aperture was reduced down to ~50 nm using electron beam surface modification using high speed scanning FESEM. The followed EPMA electron beam exposure without high speed scanning presents the reduction of the nanosize aperture down to 10 nm. During these processes, the widening or the shrinking of the nanometer pore was observed depending upon the electron beam intensity. Finally, using 200 keV TEM, the diameter of the nanopore was successively down from 10 nm down to 1.5 nm.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.115-120
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• 2023

The design theory for nanoporous filtration membranes needs to be established. The present study shows that the performance and technical advancement of nanoporous filtration membranes are determined by the fundamental parameter I (in the unit Watt^1/2) which is formulated as a function of the shear strength of the liquid-pore wall interface, the radius of the filtration pore, the membrane thickness, and the bulk dynamic viscosity of the flowing liquid. This parameter determines the critical power loss on a single filtration pore for initiating the wall slippage, which is important for the flux of the membrane. It also relates the membrane permeability to the power cost by the filtration pore. It is shown that for biological cellular membranes its values are on the scale 1.0E-8Watt^1/2, for mono-layer graphene membranes its values are on the scale 1.0E-9Watt^1/2, and for nanoporous membranes made of silica, silicon nitride or silicon carbonized its values are on the scale 1.0E-5Watt^1/2. The scale of the value of this parameter directly measures the level of the performance of a nanoporous filtration membrane. The carbon nanotube membrane has the similar performance with biological cellular membranes, as it also has the value of I on the scale 1.0E-8Watt^1/2.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2017

This study investigated the mechanical tearing of a cell membrane using a nanostructured alumina filter for easy and quick mechanical cell disruption. Nanostructured alumina filters were prepared by a multi-step aluminum anodizing process and nanopore etching process. Six different types of nanostructures were formed on the surface of the nanoporous alumina filters to compare the mechanical cell disruption characteristics according to the shape of the nanostructure. The prepared alumina filter was assembled in a commercial filter holder, and then, NIH3T3 fibroblast cells in a buffer solution were passed through the nanostructured alumina filter at a constant pressure. By measuring the concentration of proteins and DNA, the characteristics of mechanical cell disruption of the nanostructured alumina filter were investigated.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2006

Tamsulosin or a salt thereof such as its hydrochloride salt has been known to have an adrenaline ${\alpha}$ receptor blocking action for urethra and prostate areas. It has been widely used as a drug which lowers the prostate pressure and improves urinary disturbance accompanied by prostate-grand enlargement, thus for the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia. To avoid dose-dependent side effects of tamsulosin upon oral administration, the development of sustained-release delivery system is essentially required, that can maintain therapeutic drug levels for a longer period of time. The aim of this study was therefore to formulate sustained-release tamsulosin granules and assess their formulation variables. We designed entric coated sustained-release tamsulosin granules for this purpose. Nano-pores in the outer controlled release membrane were needed in order to obtain initial tamsulosin release even in an acidic environment such as gastric region. In our sustained release osmotic granule system, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose in a drug-containing layer was used as a rate controller. The drug-containing granules were coated with hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP) and Eudragit, along with glycerol triacetate as an aqueous nano-pore former. The release of tamsulosin depended heavily on the type of Eudragit such as RS, RL, NE 30D, used in the formulation of controlled release layer. These results obtained clearly suggest that the sustained-release oral delivery system for tamsulosin could be designed with satisfying drug release profile approved by the Korean Food and Drug Administration.