Improvement of performances of solid-state nanopores by modification of gold nanoparticles

Nanopore sensor has been identified as a versatile single molecule analytical device for its stability and sensitivity. Modification of solid-state nanopore will optimize the electrical properties when molecules transport through the nanopore after modification. Here, solid-state nanopore, about 50 nm, modified with gold nanoparticles, was fabricated in SiN membrane. λ-DNA was driven to transport through the modified nanopore. The results were shown that the blockage amplitude of the translocation current of λ-DNA significantly increased, while their dwell times were unchanged when the solid-state nanopore was modified with Au nanoparticles.