Gate Electrodes Enable Tunable Nanofluidic Particle Traps

The ability to control the location of nanoscale objects in liquids is essential for fundamental and applied research from nanofluidics to molecular biology. To overcome their random Brownian motion, the electrostatic fluid trap creates local minima in potential energy by shaping electrostatic interactions with a tailored wall topography. However, this strategy is inherently static; once fabricated, the potential wells cannot be modulated. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate that such a trap can be controlled through a buried gate electrode. We measure changes in the average escape times of nanoparticles from the traps to quantify the induced modulations of 0.7 kBT in potential energy and 50 mV in surface potential. Finally, we summarize the mechanism in a parameter-free predictive model, including surface chemistry and electrostatic fringing, that reproduces the experimental results. Our findings open a route toward real-time controllable nanoparticle traps.