Combined quantum tunnelling and dielectrophoretic trapping for molecular analysis at ultra-low analyte concentrations
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Quantum tunnelling offers a unique opportunity to study nanoscale objects with atomic resolution using electrical readout. However, practical implementation is impeded by the lack of simple, stable probes, that are required for successful operation. Existing platforms offer low throughput and operate in a limited range of analyte concentrations, as there is no active control to transport molecules to the sensor. We report on a standalone tunnelling probe based on double-barrelled capillary nanoelectrodes that do not require a conductive substrate to operate unlike other techniques, such as scanning tunnelling microscopy. These probes can be used to efficiently operate in solution environments and detect single molecules, including mononucleotides, oligonucleotides, and proteins. The probes are simple to fabricate, exhibit remarkable stability, and can be combined with dielectrophoretic trapping, enabling active analyte transport to the tunnelling sensor. The latter allows for up to 5-orders of magnitude increase in event detection rates and sub-femtomolar sensitivity.
Date Issued
2021-02-10
Date Acceptance
2021-01-06
Citation
Nature Communications, 2021, 12, pp.1-8
ISSN
2041-1723
Publisher
Nature Research
Start Page
1
End Page
8
Journal / Book Title
Nature Communications
Volume
12
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2021. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give
appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative
Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party
material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless
indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the
article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory
regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from
the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/.
Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give
appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative
Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party
material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless
indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the
article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory
regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from
the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Sponsor
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Commission of the European Communities
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
Royal Society Of Chemistry
Commission of the European Communities
Identifier
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21101-x
Grant Number
EP/P011985/1
724300
BB/R022429/1
600322/05
875525
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 913