Current oscillations generated by precipitate formation in the mixing zone between two solutions inside a nanopore

Single glass nanopore-based regenerable sensing platforms with a non-immobilized polyglutamic acid probe for selective detection of cupric ions

A single glass capillary nanopore-based sensing platform for rapid and selective detection of cupric ions is demonstrated by utilizing polyglutamic acid (PGA) as a non-immobilized probe. The detection is based on the significant decrease of ionic current through nanopore and the reversal of ion current rectification responses induced by the chelated cupric ions on the probes when in the presence of cupric ions. PGA shows high selectivity for detecting cupric ions rather than other metal ions. The sensitivity of the sensing platform can be improved about 1-2 orders of magnitude by employing asymmetric salt gradients during the measurements. And the PGA-based nanopore sensing platform shows excellent regenerability for Cu(2+) sensing applications. In addition, the method is found effective and reliable for the detection of cupric ions in real samples with small volume down to 20 μL. This nanopore-based sensing platform will find promising practical applications for the detection of cupric ions.

Nanopipette exploring nanoworld

Nanopipettes, with tip orifices on the order of tens to hundreds of nanometers, have been utilized in the fields of analytical chemistry and nanophysiology. Nanopipettes make nanofabrication possible at liquid/solid interfaces. Moreover, they are utilized in time-resolved measurements and for imaging biological materials, e.g., living cells, by using techniques such as scanning ion-conductance microscopy and scanning electrochemical microscopy. We have successfully fabricated ion-selective nanopipettes that can be used to identify targeted ions such as sodium and potassium in- and outside of living cells. In this review, we discuss the extent of utilization of nanopipettes in investigating the nanoworld. In addition, we discuss the potential applications of future nanopipettes.