Abstract
Nanopores fabricated from synthetic materials (solid-state nanopores), platforms for characterizing biological molecules, have been widely studied among researchers. Compared with biological nanopores, solid-state nanopores are mechanically robust and durable with a tunable pore size and geometry. Solid-state nanopores with sizes as small as 1.3 nm have been fabricated in various films using engraving techniques, such as focused ion beam (FIB) and focused electron beam (FEB) drilling methods. With the demand of massively parallel sensing, many scalable fabrication strategies have been proposed. In this review, typical fabrication technologies for solid-state nanopores reported to date are summarized, with the advantages and limitations of each technology discussed in detail. Advanced shrinking strategies to prepare nanopores with desired shapes and sizes down to sub-1 nm are concluded. Finally, applications of solid-state nanopores in DNA sequencing, single molecule detection, ion-selective transport, and nanopatterning are outlined.
Highlights
Nanopore analysis technology originated from the invention of the Coulter counter and the recording technique of a single channel current
This paper summarizes advances in the fabrication and shrinking technologies as well as applications of solid-state nanopores
Solid-state nanopores perform as versatile platforms thanks to their superior performances, such as modified pore sizes, morphologies, and surface charge properties, when compared with biological nanopores
Summary
Nanopore analysis technology originated from the invention of the Coulter counter and the recording technique of a single channel current. 1996 [1], nanopore-based sensors have been widely studied by researchers [2,3,4] Biological nanopores, such as α-hemolysin, Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A (MspA), and DNA packaging motors (like bacillus phage phi and bacteriophage T7), have great potential in the sensing of various analytes, including DNA, RNA, proteins, and so forth [1,3,5,6,7,8]. Blocked ionic current detection is the most mainstream and direct sequencing strategy based on both solid-state and biological nanopores [23,24,25]. To improve the accuracy of recognition, the transverse tunneling current detection method based on solid-state nanopores was developed [27,28]. Some typical applications of solid-state nanopores are outlined
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