Presentation preference : Oral Topic ( choose from website ) : Plenary Solid-state nanopores for sensing

Nanopores possess an inherently built-in transduction mechanism that opens up the prospects for their use as label-free chemical sensors. Species comparable in size with the nanopore restriction that enter the nanopore are able to effectively change the physico-chemical properties of the nanopore interior, such as the conductance, which provides sensitive means for their detection. The full capability of interrogating the sample in the extremely small volume confined by the nanopore interior is achieved if a single nanopore is used for sensing, which leads to single species detection. We are going to present the application of this concept for the calibration-free sizing and counting synthetic and biological nanoparticles (viruses) with nanopipettes. Beside “passive” counting, the chemical modification of single nanopores and nanopore arrays with functional compounds and receptors offers new opportunities for selective chemical sensing with nanopores. These “unconventional” sensing concepts will be presented through the synthesis of solid-state ion channels and their application for the selective detection of ions and polyions, as well as nanoparticle displacement assays with nanopore-based sensors.