Amino Acid Translocation Through a Dual Nanopore Platform

TL;DR

This study introduces a dual nanopore platform combining MoS2 and SiN pores for precise amino acid detection, demonstrating successful translocation measurements and promising avenues for improved nanopore sensing technology.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel dual nanopore system enabling independent probing of amino acids, with detailed measurements showing effective detection and potential for enhanced performance.

Findings

Successful detection of single amino acids via dual nanopores

Good signal-to-noise ratio achieved in measurements

Quantitative agreement with theoretical current calculations

Abstract

We demonstrate a dual nanopore platform (DNP) containing a top 2D MoS2 pore in series with a 3 to 5 nm thick SiN pore, vertically separated by 30 nm, with diameters of 1.0 and 3.0 nm, respectively. This platform enables independent probing of analytes by each pore, thereby providing complementary information. We measure translocations of single amino acids (AA) and evaluate current blockades recorded across the two pores upon applying voltage. Small diameters ensured tight passage of individual AAs through the nanopores and provided a good signal-tonoise ratio (RMS current noise of 16 pA_RMS and SNR = 6). We focus on measurements of O-Phospho-L-tyrosine at 400 mV, demonstrating single amino acid detection and a good quantitative agreement with the calculated open pore and blocked currents. Based on these results, future device performance can benefit from slightly smaller pores, specifically the SiN pore, higher voltages and electrolyte concentration, and lower system noise.