Detection of single ion channel activity with carbon nanotubes

• DOI: 10.1038/srep09208
• Publication Date: 2015-03-17T10:13:03Z
• Authors: Weiwei Zhou; Yung Yu Wang; Tae-Sun Lim; Ted Pham; Dheeraj Jain; Peter J. Burke
• Keywords: Nanopore; Alamethicin

Abstract Many processes in life are based on ion currents and membrane voltages controlled by a sophisticated diverse family of proteins (ion channels), which comparable size to the most advanced nanoelectronic components currently under development. Here we demonstrate an electrical assay individual channel activity measuring dynamic opening closing nanopores using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Two canonical channels (gramicidin A (gA) alamethicin) one static biological nanopore (α-hemolysin (α-HL)) were successfully incorporated into supported lipid bilayers (SLBs, artificial cell membrane), turn interfaced through variety polymer-cushion surface functionalization schemes. The current directly charges quantum capacitance single nanotube network purified semiconducting nanotubes. This work forms foundation for scalable, massively parallel architecture 1d devices interrogating electrophysiology at level.