Introduction

The proposed research is to use a nanometer sized pore, a nanopore, in an insulating solid state membrane to electronically detect and characterize proteins at the single molecule level as demonstrated below.

 

Text Box: The principle and idea of nanopore detection for single amino acid chains. Left, a single nanopore in an insulating solid state membrane separates two ionic solution filled compartments, a voltage across the membrane is applied by a pair of electrodes. Middle: when proteins are added to the solution, translocation of individual molecule through the pore will partially block the nanopore. Right: a predicted characteristic current blockage from a single event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Techniques Involved in our Research

1. Semiconductor device fabrication technique.

Silicon wafers are processed at  the University of Arkansas' High Density Electronics Center (HiDEC).  The HiDEC is equipped with photolithography, Reactive Ion Etching (RIE), Deep Reactive Ion Etching and more: http://www.hidec.uark.edu/

 

2. Focus Ion Beam Milling.

3. Low Energy Ion Beam Sculpting of Molecular Size Solid State Nanopores.

4. Single Channel Recording- Patch Clamp Technique.  

 

University of Arkansas

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