Localized Joule heating produced by ion current focusing through micron-size holes

Abstract

We provide an experimental demonstration that the focusing of ionic currents in a micron size hole connecting two chambers can produce local temperature increases of up to $100^{\circ }$ C with gradients as large as $1^{\circ }$ K$\mu m^{-1}$. We find a good agreement between the measured temperature profiles and a finite elements-based numerical calculation. We show how the thermal gradients can be used to measure the full melting profile of DNA duplexes within a region of 40 $\mu$m. The possibility to produce even larger gradients using sub-micron pores is discussed.

3 pages, accepted to Appl. Phys. Lett.