Capture, recapture, and trapping of molecules with a nanopore

A method for molecular analysis comprising:

• translocating a molecular species under analysis a plurality of times through a nanopore in a structure between two fluidic reservoirs separated by the structure, each reservoir containing an ionic solution characterized by an ionic conductivity, σ, and one of the reservoirs including the molecule under analysis, the molecule being characterized by a mobility, μ, and a diffusion constant, D, in the ionic solution;
• detecting ionic current flow, I, through the nanopore, as an indicator of molecular species translocation through the nanopore, from one of the two fluidic reservoirs to the other of the two fluidic reservoirs;
• and
• applying a changing voltage bias between the first and second reservoirs causing the plurality of nanopore translocations by the molecule under analysis, each voltage bias change occurring at a time, after detection of a molecular nanopore translocation, that is no greater than about a time, t(L), where:
• t
• ⁡
• (
• L
• )
• =
• 
• μ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• I
• 
• 2
• 12
• ⁢
• ⁢
• π
• 2
• ⁢
• σ
• 2
• ⁢
• D
• 3
• ,
• to maintain the molecule under analysis within a hemispherical recapture field distance, L, measured from the nanopore in each reservoir after each nanopore translocation, so that the molecule under analysis is caused to repeatedly translocate the nanopore, where:
• L
• =
• 
• μ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• I
• 
• 2
• ⁢
• ⁢
• πσ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• D

A method for exposing a molecular species to a reactive environment comprising:

• translocating a molecular species through a nanopore from a first fluidic reservoir to a second fluidic reservoir, each reservoir containing an ionic solution characterized by an ionic conductivity, σ, and one of the reservoirs including a molecule, under analysis, that is characterized by a mobility, μ, and a diffusion constant, D, in the ionic solution, and one of the reservoirs-containing an environment that is reactive with the molecular species;
• detecting ionic current flow, I, through the nanopore, as an indicator of molecular species translocation through the nanopore, from one of the two fluidic reservoirs to the other of the two fluidic reservoirs;
• and
• applying a changing voltage bias between the first and second reservoirs causing the plurality of nanopore translocations by the molecule under analysis, each voltage bias change occurring at a time, after detection of a molecular nanopore translocation, that is no greater than about a time, t(L), where:
• t
• ⁡
• (
• L
• )
• =
• 
• μ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• I
• 
• 2
• 12
• ⁢
• ⁢
• π
• 2
• ⁢
• σ
• 2
• ⁢
• D
• 3
• ,
• to maintain the molecule under analysis within a hemispherical recapture field distance, L, measured from the nanopore in each reservoir after each nanopore translocation, so that the molecule under analysis is caused to repeatedly translocate the nanopore, where:
• L
• =
• 
• μ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• I
• 
• 2
• ⁢
• ⁢
• πσ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• D

A method for sequencing a genome comprising:

• providing a plurality of nucleotide fragments from a genome in a first fluidic reservoir;
• translocating each nucleotide fragment a selected number of times through a nanopore in a structure between the first fluidic reservoir and a second fluidic reservoir separated from the first reservoir by the structure, each reservoir containing an ionic solution characterized by an ionic conductivity, σ, with the nucleotide fragments characterized by a mobility, μ, and a diffusion constant, D, in the ionic solution;
• detecting each nucleotide fragment as that nucleotide fragment translocates the nanopore by detecting ionic current flow, I, through the nanopore, as an indicator of nucleotide fragment translocation through the nanopore, from one of the two fluidic reservoirs to the other of the two fluidic reservoirs;
• and
• applying a changing voltage bias between the first and second reservoirs causing the plurality of nanopore translocations by the nucleotide fragments, each voltage bias change occurring at a time, after detection of a nucleotide fragment translocation through the nanopore, that is no greater than about a time, t(L), where:
• t
• ⁡
• (
• L
• )
• =
• 
• μ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• I
• 
• 2
• 12
• ⁢
• ⁢
• π
• 2
• ⁢
• σ
• 2
• ⁢
• D
• 3
• ,
• to maintain the nucleotide fragments within a hemispherical recapture field distance, L, measured from the nanopore in each reservoir after each nanopore translocation, so that the nucleotide fragments are caused to repeatedly translocate the nanopore, where:
• L
• =
• 
• μ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• I
• 
• 2
• ⁢
• ⁢
• πσ
• ⁢
• ⁢
• D