Some Energy Issues for a Nanoscale Electrostatic Potential Well in Saline Solutions

Abstract

An electrostatic potential well may be applied to trap and manipulate charged micro- and nanoparticles. An electrostatic potential well obtained from a certain charge distribution may be used to mimic the electrostatic interactions among biomolecules in live biosystems. In this study, we present a simulation study on the trapping performance of dipole clusters, which are arranged in 10 nm-sized, pentagon-shaped structures in a saline solution. The influence of electrostatic energy, entropy, and van der Waals interaction on the trapping performance of these nanostructures is then systematically calculated. The results show that the electrostatic potential well system demonstrated a moderate trapping capability, which could be enhanced using van der Waals interactions. The entropy significantly contributes to the trapping capability. This study offers some ideas for developing practical biomimetic electrostatic tweezers and nanorobots working in an ionic solution.