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Ionic rectifier membranes or devices generate uni-directional ion transport to convert an alternating current (AC) ion current input into stored energy or direct current (DC) in the form of ion/salt gradients. Electrochemical experiments 80 years ago were conducted on biological membrane rectifier systems, but today a plethora of artificial ionic rectifier types has been developed and electroanalytical tools are employed to explore mechanisms and performance. This overview focuses on microscale ionic rectifiers with a comparison to nano- and macroscale ionic rectifiers. The potential is surveyed for applications in electrochemical analysis, desalination, energy harvesting, electrochemical synthesis, and in selective ion extraction.

Ionic diode phenomena occur at asymmetric ionomer | aqueous electrolyte microhole interfaces. Depending on the applied potential, either an “open” or a “closed” diode state is observed switching between a high ion flow rate and a low ion flow rate. Physically, the “open” state is associated mainly with conductivity towards the microhole within the ionomer layer and the “closed” state is dominated by restricted diffusion-migration access to the microhole interface opposite to the ionomer. In this report we explore a “heterojunction” based on an asymmetric polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) | Nafion ionomer microhole interface. Improved diode characteristics and current rectification are observed in aqueous NaCl. The effects of creating the PIM | Nafion micro-interface are investigated and suggested to lead to novel sensor architectures.