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US 11,698,359 B2Granted
Nanopore sensors for biomolecular characterization
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
InventorsRashid Bashir, Bala Murali Venkatesan
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Abstract
Provided herein are methods and devices for characterizing a biomolecule parameter by a nanopore-containing membrane, and also methods for making devices that can be used in the methods and devices provided herein. The nanopore membrane is a multilayer stack of conducting layers and dielectric layers, wherein an embedded conducting layer or conducting layer gates provides well-controlled and measurable electric fields in and around the nanopore through which the biomolecule translocates. In an aspect, the conducting layer is graphene.
Claims21
A method for characterizing a biomolecule parameter, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a hybrid biological solid-state nanopore in a membrane comprising a conductor-dielectric stack, wherein said membrane separates a first fluid compartment from a second fluid compartment and said nanopore fluidly connects said first and said second fluid compartments and said conductor comprises a conductor nanoribbons formed from an atomically thin electrically conducting layer of graphene and said solid-state nanopore has a constant diameter;
- providing the biomolecule to said first fluid compartment;
- applying an electric field across said membrane;
- driving said biomolecule through said hybrid biological solid-state nanopore to said second fluid compartment under said applied electric field;
- and
- monitoring an electrical parameter across the membrane or along a plane formed by the membrane as the biomolecule transits the hybrid biological solid-state nanopore by field effect sensing with the conductor nanoribbon, thereby characterizing said biomolecule parameter
- wherein said conductor-dielectric stack comprises:
- a plurality of graphene layers that form an outermost graphene layers and a one or more central graphene layer positioned between the outermost graphene layers, wherein adjacent graphene layers are separated by a dielectric layer;
- and said method further comprises:
- independently energizing the outermost graphene layers to slow down passage of the biomolecule and the central graphene layer for measuring a time-course of electric potential or transverse current along said conductor nanoribbon during said biomolecule transit through said hybrid biological solid-state nanopore, thereby characterizing a sequence or length of said biomolecule;
- and
- said hybrid biological solid-state nanopore comprises a protein.
9 more elements
A device for characterizing a biomolecule parameter, said device comprising:
- a membrane comprising:
- a first surface and a second surface opposite said first surface, wherein said membrane separates a first fluid compartment comprising said first surface from a second fluid compartment comprising said second surface, and at least one solid-state nanopore traversing said membrane between said first surface and said second surface;
- a conductor/dielectric stack positioned between said first surface and said second surface, wherein said conductor/dielectric stack comprises at least three conductor layers that form a top, a bottom and one or more middle conductor layers, with adjacent conductor layers separated by a dielectric layer;
- and
- a hybrid biological solid-state nanopore comprising a protein through said membrane solid-state nanopore that fluidically connects said first compartment and said second compartment, wherein said solid-state hybrid biological solid-state nanopore has a constant diameter;
- a power supply in electrical contact with said top and bottom conductor layers of the membrane to provide an electric potential difference between said first fluid compartment and said second fluid compartment;
- and
- a detector configured to detect an electrical current through said hybrid biological solid-state nanopore as a biomolecule transits said hybrid biological solid-state nanopore under an applied electric potential difference between said first and second fluid compartments, wherein said detector comprises a field effect sensor formed from the power supply in electrical contact with at least one of said middle conductor layer that is an atomically thin electrically conducting a graphene nanoribbon layer, wherein said electric potential difference of said top and bottom conductor layers provides independently controlled gating, and said at least one middle conductor layer is electrically isolated from said top and bottom conductor layers for control and characterization of the hybrid biological solid-state nanopore electric field.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.