Chapter 4: Solid-state Nanopore Confinement for Single Molecule Detection

This chapter focuses on the electrochemical confinement effect of nanopores fabricated from inorganic materials for single molecule sensing by electrochemical and optical readouts. The fabrication methods are summarized with examples such as focused ion beam, high-power electron beam and controlled dielectric breakdown approaches. The DNA molecule unzipping process and DNA-based target protein detection using solid-state nanopores are demonstrated. Moreover, the nanopore can efficiently capture a single molecule within its electrochemically confined space for real-time monitoring the transient intermediate states. Based on this strategy, the dynamics of an individual DNA–protein complex within solid-state nanopores is discussed.