Analysis of Potential Barrier for Ionic Transport through Si₃N₄ Nanopores

Abstract

Potential barrier plays a key role in ionic transport through nanoporous membranes. We numerically study the contribution of the potential barrier to the ionic current through a cylindrical Si₃N₄ nanopore using molecular dynamics simulations. We extract the height of the potential barrier from the best fit using a simple polynomial model of the ionic current. We reveal that the surface atoms make a contribution to the potential barrier. This study provides the height of the potential barrier so that it is valuable information about the underlying mechanism of ionic transport through nanopores.