Detection of Single Protein Molecules Using MoS2 Nanopores of Various Sizes

Abstract

Mos2 nanopores have recently been demonstrated to be capable of detecting translocation of proteins. In this work, we further investigate the effect of MoS2nanopore size on the translocation process. The MoS2 nanopores are fabricated using TEM drilling that yields nanopore diameters of ~10 nm and ~20 nm. We use these nanopores to detect bovine serum albumin (BSA) proteins and analyze the translocation signal statistics as well as the shape of individual signals. It is found that larger MoS2 nanopores can reduce the threshold voltage for translocation and increase the translocation event rate. Translocation at reduced bias voltages may prolong individual translocation process, which can be beneficial for improving the sensing resolution.