Controlled laser-induced fabrication of multichannel solid-state nanopore sensors for studying single-molecule protein dynamics

Abstract

Nanopores have emerged in recent years as a sensitive and informative sensor for probing biomolecules at a single-molecule level. Nanopore sensing is achieved by recording the ion flux through a small pore submerged in an aqueous electrolyte by applying a voltage bias across it. The essential parameters of an analyte are then deduced through resistive pulses in the ionic current as it is electrokinetically captured and driven through the pore. Solid-state nanopores have recently gained traction as high-resolution sensors for protein characterization because unlike their lipid-embedded biological pore analogs, the solid-state membrane is stable at higher voltages and the pore size can be tailored to be compatible with the studied molecule of choice.