Rapid structural analysis of nanomaterials in aqueous solutions

Sou Ryuzaki, Makusu Tsutsui, Yuhui He, Kazumichi Yokota, Akihide Arima, Takanori Morikawa, Masateru Taniguchi, Tomoji Kawai
2017 Nanotechnology  
Rapid structural analysis of nanoscale matter in a liquid environment represents innovative technologies that reveal the identities and functions of biologically important molecules. However, there is currently no method with high spatio-temporal resolution that can scan individual particles in solutions to gain structural information. Here we report the development of a nanopore platform realizing quantitative structural analysis for suspended nanomaterials in solutions with a high z-axis and
more » ... y-plane spatial resolution of 35.8±1.1 and 12 nm, respectively. We used a low thickness-to-diameter aspect ratio pore architecture for achieving cross sectional areas of analyte (i.e. tomograms). Combining this with multiphysics simulation methods to translate ionic current data into tomograms, we demonstrated rapid structural analysis of single polystyrene (Pst) beads and single dumbbell-like Pst beads in aqueous solutions.
doi:10.1088/1361-6528/aa5e66 pmid:28303796 fatcat:ajxfpq5wfrh65ickx4jqrw27ry