@article{19966,
  abstract     = {Recently discovered nanofluidic memristors, have raised promises for the development of iontronics and neuromorphic computing with ions. Ionic memory effects are related to ion dynamics inside nanochannels, with timescales associated with the manifold physicochemical phenomena occurring at confined interfaces. Here, we explore experimentally the frequency-dependent current–voltage response of model nanochannels—namely glass nanopipettes—to investigate memory effects in ion transport. This characterisation, which we refer to as mem-spectrometry, highlights two characteristic frequencies, associated with short and long timescales of the order of 50 ms and 50 s in the present system. Whereas the former can be associated with ionic diffusion, very long timescales are difficult to explain with conventional transport phenomena. We develop a minimal model accounting for these mem-spectrometry results, pointing to surface charge regulation and ionic adsorption-desorption as possible origins for the long-term memory. Our work demonstrates the relevance of mem-spectrometry to highlight subtle ion transport properties in nanochannels, giving hereby new insights on the mechanisms governing ion transport and current rectification in charged conical nanopores.},
  author       = {Jouveshomme, Simon and Lizée, Mathieu and Robin, Paul and Bocquet, Lydéric},
  issn         = {1367-2630},
  journal      = {New Journal of Physics},
  number       = {6},
  publisher    = {IOP Publishing},
  title        = {{Multiple ionic memories in asymmetric nanochannels revealed by mem-spectrometry}},
  doi          = {10.1088/1367-2630/ade61b},
  volume       = {27},
  year         = {2025},
}

@article{20670,
  abstract     = {β-Barrel nanopores are involved in crucial biological processes, from ATP export in mitochondria to bacterial resistance, and represent a promising platform for emerging sequencing technologies. However, in contrast to ion channels, the understanding of the fundamental principles governing ion transport through these nanopores remains largely unexplored. Here we integrate experimental, numerical and theoretical approaches to elucidate ion transport mechanisms in β-barrel nanopores. We identify and characterize two distinct nonlinear phenomena: open-pore rectification and gating. Through extensive mutation analysis of aerolysin nanopores, we demonstrate that open-pore rectification is caused by ionic accumulation driven by the distribution of lumen charges. In addition, we provide converging evidence suggesting that gating is controlled by electric fields dissociating counterions from lumen charges, promoting local structural deformations. Our findings establish a rigorous framework for characterizing and understanding ion transport processes in protein-based nanopores, enabling the design of adaptable nanofluidic biotechnologies. We illustrate this by optimizing an aerolysin mutant for computing applications.},
  author       = {Mayer, Simon and Mitsioni, Marianna Fanouria and Robin, Paul and Van Den Heuvel, Lukas and Ronceray, Nathan and Marcaida, Maria Jose and Abriata, Luciano A. and Krapp, Lucien F. and Anton, Jana S. and Soussou, Sarah and Jeanneret-Grosjean, Justin and Fulciniti, Alessandro and Möller, Alexia and Vacle, Sarah and Feletti, Lely and Brinkerhoff, Henry and Laszlo, Andrew H. and Gundlach, Jens H. and Emmerich, Theo and Dal Peraro, Matteo and Radenovic, Aleksandra},
  issn         = {1748-3395},
  journal      = {Nature Nanotechnology},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Lumen charge governs gated ion transport in β-barrel nanopores}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41565-025-02052-6},
  year         = {2025},
}

@article{19279,
  abstract     = {Recent experimental advances in nanofluidics have allowed to explore ion transport across molecular-scale pores, in particular, for iontronic applications. Two-dimensional nanochannels—in which a single molecular layer of electrolyte is confined between solid walls—constitute a unique platform to investigate fluid and ion transport in extreme confinement, highlighting unconventional transport properties. In this work, we study ionic association in 2D nanochannels, and its consequences on non-linear ionic transport, using both molecular dynamics simulations and analytical theory. We show that under sufficient confinement, ions assemble into pairs or larger clusters in a process analogous to a Kosterlitz–Thouless transition, here modified by the dielectric confinement. We further show that the breaking of pairs results in an electric-field dependent conduction, a mechanism usually known as the second Wien effect. However the 2D nature of the system results in non-universal, temperature-dependent, scaling of the conductivity with electric field, leading to ionic coulomb blockade in some regimes. A 2D generalization of the Onsager theory fully accounts for the non-linear transport. These results suggest ways to exploit electrostatic interactions between ions to build new nanofluidic devices.},
  author       = {Toquer, Damien and Bocquet, Lydéric and Robin, Paul},
  issn         = {1089-7690},
  journal      = {Journal of Chemical Physics},
  number       = {6},
  publisher    = {AIP Publishing},
  title        = {{Ionic association and Wien effect in 2D confined electrolytes}},
  doi          = {10.1063/5.0241949},
  volume       = {162},
  year         = {2025},
}

@article{21235,
  abstract     = {The condensation of charged polymers is an important driver for the formation of biomolecular condensates. Recent experiments suggest that this mechanism also controls the clustering of eukaryotic chromosomes during the late stages of cell division. In this process, interchromosome attraction is driven by the condensation of cytoplasmic RNA and Ki-67, a charged intrinsically disordered protein that coats the chromosomes as a brush. Attraction between chromosomes has been shown to be specifically promoted by a localized charged patch on Ki-67, although the physical mechanism remains unclear. To elucidate this process, we combine coarse-grained simulations and analytical theory to study the RNA-mediated interaction between charged polymer brushes on the chromosome surfaces. We show that the charged patch on Ki-67 leads to interchromosome attraction via RNA bridging between the two brushes, whereby the RNA preferentially interacts with the charged patches, leading to stable, long-range forces. By contrast, if the brush is uniformly charged, bridging is basically absent due to complete adsorption of RNA onto the brush. Moreover, the RNA dynamics becomes caged in presence of the charged patch while remaining diffusive with uniform charge. Our work sheds light on the physical origin of chromosome clustering, while also suggesting a general mechanism for cells to tune work production by biomolecular condensates via different charge distributions.},
  author       = {Sorichetti, Valerio and Robin, Paul and Palaia, Ivan and Hernandez-Armendariz, Alberto and Cuylen-Haering, Sara and Šarić, Anđela},
  issn         = {2835-8279},
  journal      = {PRX Life},
  number       = {3},
  publisher    = {American Physical Society},
  title        = {{Charge distribution of the coating brush drives interchromosome attraction}},
  doi          = {10.1103/41fd-r847},
  volume       = {3},
  year         = {2025},
}

@article{15024,
  abstract     = {Electrostatic correlations between ions dissolved in water are known to impact their transport properties in numerous ways, from conductivity to ion selectivity. The effects of these correlations on the solvent itself remain, however, much less clear. In particular, the addition of salt has been consistently reported to affect the solution’s viscosity, but most modeling attempts fail to reproduce experimental data even at moderate salt concentrations. Here, we use an approach based on stochastic density functional theory, which accurately captures charge fluctuations and correlations. We derive a simple analytical expression for the viscosity correction in concentrated electrolytes, by directly linking it to the liquid’s structure factor. Our prediction compares quantitatively to experimental data at all temperatures and all salt concentrations up to the saturation limit. This universal link between the microscopic structure and viscosity allows us to shed light on the nanoscale dynamics of water and ions under highly concentrated and correlated conditions.},
  author       = {Robin, Paul},
  issn         = {1089-7690},
  journal      = {Journal of Chemical Physics},
  number       = {6},
  publisher    = {AIP Publishing},
  title        = {{Correlation-induced viscous dissipation in concentrated electrolytes}},
  doi          = {10.1063/5.0188215},
  volume       = {160},
  year         = {2024},
}