A bilayered solid-state nanopore material that senses and guides DNA and other biomolecules into homogeneous configurations.

Current methods of DNA sensing and sequencing typically involve short read lengths, chemical labeling, labor-intensive sample preparation, and lack of portability. To minimize these issues during DNA sequencing, protein-based nanopores have been developed and commercialized for DNA sensing. However, these protein-based nanopores are not stable in the long term, and sequence collection cannot occur at high bandwidths. Additionally, the mechanism of DNA guidance, which varies depending on the protein identity and nanopore construction, limits DNA throughput.

A solid-state bilayered nanoporous material allows for controlled configuration and sensing of DNA and other biomolecules. This approach does not require DNA labeling or pretreatment with enzymes, reducing sample preparation. This material is reusable, portable, stable for longer periods of time, and throughput speed can be modulated by varying the electrical potential applied to the system.

A nanoporous material consisting of MoS2 and SiN guiding reusable (GURU) bilayers. As DNA passes through pores, the electrical field applied to the bilayer geometry helps pre-sort and detect DNA via electrical signals. The electric fields in the layered geometry have varying degrees of coupling, depending on the separation of the given bilayers. Electrical coupling influences the electrical conductance measured along with the number of nanopores, layer sizes, and the charges present on the given biomolecules and the material. This customizability provides electromechanical control over DNA, enabled by increased nanofabrication precision and the ability to obtain microsecond resolution detection of the biomolecules.

• DNA is tracked across a 20-nanometer distance with approximately one microsecond time resolution, representing at least one order of magnitude improvement compared to tracking markers recently shown for labeled DNA, allowing for extremely high-resolution DNA detection
• Customizability of the material and geometry allows for variable electrical coupling, so DNA can be guided into a variety of shapes depending on the desired configuration using this technology, rather than the single configurational outcome typical of other nanoporous protein-based materials
• Unlike other nanoporous or traditional DNA sensing and sorting platforms, this technology is portable, stable long-term, and reusable after acid washing