Ionic coulomb drag in nanofluidic semiconductor channels for energy harvest

Abstract

The onset of electronic current in a doped silicon membrane induced by the long-range Coulomb interaction of ions flowing through a nanofluidic channel is established by a combined computational and analytical approach based on Green's function technique and Boltzmann transport formalism. Characterized by an open circuit voltage and short circuit current, the electronic Coulomb drag provides a new paradigm for power harvesting. In addition, our model predicts a current amplification of the ionic drag current because of the large momentum transfer from heavy ions to charge carriers in silicon, which is achieved for both anions and cations flowing in the nanochannel irrespective of the dopant type in the semiconductor. The analysis indicates the versatility of this effect with respect to the nature of the electrolyte and the semiconducting materials, providing proper tuning of their structures and design configurations.