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Stacked Graphene-Al2O3 Nanopore Sensors for Sensitive Detection of DNA and DNA–Protein Complexes
ACS Nano (2012)
  • Bala Murali Venkatesan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • David Estrada, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Shouvik Banerjee, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Xiaozhong Jin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Vincent E. Dorgan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Myung-Ho Bae, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Narayana R. Aluru, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Eric Pop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Rashid Bashir, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Abstract
We report the development of a multilayered graphene-Al2O3 nanopore platform for the sensitive detection of DNA and DNA–protein complexes. Graphene-Al2O3 nanolaminate membranes are formed by sequentially depositing layers of graphene and Al2O3, with nanopores being formed in these membranes using an electron-beam sculpting process. The resulting nanopores are highly robust, exhibit low electrical noise (significantly lower than nanopores in pure graphene), are highly sensitive to electrolyte pH at low KCl concentrations (attributed to the high buffer capacity of Al2O3), and permit the electrical biasing of the embedded graphene electrode, thereby allowing for three terminal nanopore measurements. In proof-of-principle biomolecule sensing experiments, the folded and unfolded transport of single DNA molecules and RecA-coated DNA complexes could be discerned with high temporal resolution. The process described here also enables nanopore integration with new graphene-based structures, including nanoribbons and nanogaps, for single-molecule DNA sequencing and medical diagnostic applications.
Keywords
  • nanopore,
  • graphene,
  • DNA,
  • translocation,
  • sequencing
Publication Date
December 13, 2012
Citation Information
Bala Murali Venkatesan, David Estrada, Shouvik Banerjee, Xiaozhong Jin, et al.. "Stacked Graphene-Al2O3 Nanopore Sensors for Sensitive Detection of DNA and DNA–Protein Complexes" ACS Nano Vol. 6 Iss. 1 (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/david_estrada/4/