Gregorio Laucirica

• PhD in chemistry
• PostDoc Position at Saint Anthony Catholic University

Solid-state nanochannels (SSNs) have emerged as promising platforms for controlling ionic transport at the nanoscale. SSNs are highly versatile, and this feature can be enhanced through their combination with porous materials such as Metal−Organic Frameworks (MOF). By selection of specific building blocks and experimental conditions, different MOF...

In this study, the transport of salt with moderate solubility through bioinspired solid-state nanochannels was comprehensively investigated. For this purpose, bullet-shaped channels were fabricated and exposed to KClO4, a monovalent...

Nanofluidic field-effect transistors for tailored transport and bio-inspired functionalities: solid-state nanochannels can be smartly tuned by external potentials to induce open/closed states or promote ion selectivity in the same way as biological ion channels.

We studied ionic transport properties of UiO-66 metal-organic framework-modified solid-state nanochannels (MOF@SSNs) embedded in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes, focusing on the effect of calcium ions from chloride salt (CaCl2) acting...

Neurotransmitters are endogenous chemical messengers that play crucial roles in the transmission, enhancement and conversion of specific signals between neurons and other cells and are considered biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases.[1] Neurodegenerative diseases cause progressive loss of cognitive and/or motor function and, as life expectancy...

Nanofluidic channels in which the ionic transport can be modulated by the application of an external voltage to the nanochannel walls have been described as nanofluidic field effect transistors (nFETs) because of their analogy with electrolyte-gated field effect transistors. The creation of nFETs is attracting increasing attention due to the possib...

The use of track-etched membranes allows further fine-tuning of transport regimes and thus enables their use in (bio)sensing and energy harvesting applications, among others. Recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been combined with such membranes to further increase their potential. Herein, the creation of a single track-etched nanochannel...

Acetylcholinesterase-modified nanochannels are proposed as reliable and reproducible nanofluidic sensors for highly sensitive detection of acetylcholine. The operation mechanism relies on the use of weak polyelectrolytes as "chemical amplifiers" that adjust/reconfigure the nanochannel surface charge in the presence of local pH changes induced by th...

During the past decade, solid-state nanopores and nanochannels (SSNs) have emerged as a new class of devices for the creation of nanofluidic platforms with diverse applications. In particular, the precise control of ion transport achieved by SSNs paved the way to the development of specific and efficient biological and chemical iontronic sensors wi...

Advanced nanostructured membranes with high ion flux and selectivity bring new opportunities for generating clean energy by exploiting the osmotic pressure difference between water sources of different salinities.

Biomimetic solid-state nanochannels enable new modalities for biosensing. In the last decade, these nanofluidic architectures have been widely studied due to their rapid and sensitive detection capabilities. Developing nanofluidic sensors with great ability to sense ions, small biomolecules, and biological macromolecules requires the combination of...

Recently, much scientific effort has been centered on the control of the ionic transport properties of solid state nanochannels and the rational design and integration of chemical systems to induce changes in the ionic transport by means of interactions with selected target molecules. Here, we report the fabrication of a novel nanofluidic device ba...

During the last years, much scientific effort has been focused on the control of the ionic transport properties of solid state nanochannels and the rational integration of chemical systems to induce changes in the ionic transport by interaction with selected target molecules for (bio)sensing purposes. In this work, we present the construction and f...

Solid-state nanochannels have attracted substantial attention of the scientific community due to the remarkable control of ionic transport and the feasibility to regulate the iontronic output by different stimuli. Most of the developed nanodevices are subjected to complex modification methods or show functional responsiveness only in moderate ionic...

Nanofluidic field-effect transistors (nFETs) have attracted the attention of scientific community due to its remarkable level of control over ionic transport. Particularly, the combination of nanofluidic systems and electroactive polymers has demonstrated being an interesting approach to achieve an electrochemically addressable device. In this work...

Nanofluidic reverse electrodialysis systems based on track-etched nanochannels are promising devices for new eco-friendly ways of sustainable energy generation. In recent years, several works have been focused on the influence of parameters such as pH, ionic strength, and chemical nature of the electrolyte on the device performance. However, despit...

In the last years the ionic conductance behavior of solid-state nanochannels (SSN) has been extensively studied with both basic and applied purposes. In particular, the interactions between confined groups and dissolved species have been widely used for the design of biosensors and smart devices. Being the species confined to the small volume of th...

Although not always considered a preponderant interaction, amine-phosphate interactions are omnipresent in multiple chemical and biological systems. This study aims to answer questions that are still pending about their nature and consequences. We focus on the description of the charge state as surface charges constitute directing agents of the int...