Nanopore-Based DNA Sequencing and DNA Motion Control - Nanopores: Sensing and Fundamental Biological Interactions - page 264

Fig. 11.10 Typical blockades of ion current in the alpha-HL pore caused by A(30)C(70)Gp RNA.
Image adapted from [ 13 ]
Solid state nanopores [ 14 - 18 ] have been developed to satisfy condition (1). For
identification of bases (basically at the root of conditions (2) and (3)) there are
proposals based on “Transverse electronic transport” [ 19 , 20 ], “Semiconductor
nanopore-capacitor” [ 21 ], “unzipping designed DNAs” [ 22 ] and “Hybridization-
assisted Nanopore DNA Sequencing” [ 23 ]. Issues on condition (4) will be discussed
in Section 11.2.
11.1.4.2 Nanopore-Based DNA Sequencing via Transverse
Electronic Transport
The principle of nanopore-based DNA sequencing via transverse electronic trans-
port method is shown in Fig. 11.11 . If one puts two nanometer-scale electrodes
around the nanopore, the tunneling current through the two electrodes will be
modulated as the DNA bases are translocating through the nanopore one at a time.
Using carbon nanotubes as electrodes one can make condition (2) satisfied by
carefully breaking the nanotube to get a sharp point electrode with dimensions