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A Study Of Electrokinetics In Glass Nanopores For Biomolecular Applications

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2018, MS, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Electrical Engineering.
The ability to detect single molecule passing through a nano-sized pore holds the potential to serve as a valuable process in the world of nanotechnology. The molecules which translocate or cause a blockade at the pore orifice lead to a sharp change in current, which is shape and size dependent and can be used as the sensing criteria. This phenomenon based on the Coulter-counter principle resulting in resistive spikes can be used for a variety of applications. But to be able to understand the functioning of a nanopore better, it is of utmost important that we understand the electrokinetics that govern the motion of a molecule in the vicinity of the pore. With a comprehensive understanding of the environment that a target molecule exists in and its own surface characteristics, it would be possible to predict the translocation related behavior of the target. In this work, a detailed analysis of the electrokinetic forces that exist in a solid-state pore made in borosilicate glass have been studied. Unlike pores in membrane, which tend to be somewhat cylindrical if not perfect, the current rectification phenomenon is pronounced in conical pores which leads to enhanced field strengths at the tip of the cone. This can be used to great advantage in a variety of applications. We customized our biosensor design with the borosilicate pore sensor for obtaining successful detection with low charge carrying microparticles. This is of great use since the real-world targets such as Nucleic acids have much lower zeta potentials and can’t always be electrophoretically propelled. Further, we employed our sensor to detect small miRNA sequences. For which this work discusses the numerical modelling that enabled us to predict the fluid flow behavior under the applied bias. We could see electroosmotic reversal at lower salt concentration in our design and could narrow down our choice of salt concentration. Additionally, we were able to predict the formation of serrated shape signals with electroosmotic detection in the device for our target sequences. Besides being a sensor, the presence of dielectrophoretic force can lead to a force balance region right outside the pore tip. This region can collect charged particles of interest by pulling them into the force balance zone. This electrokinetic balance was studied comprehensively and several factors of the system were varied to analyze the trapping efficiency. The numerical simulations predicted a trend with a change in salt concentration, pore diameter, applied field strength and field direction as few of the factors that can alter the efficiency in trapping. Having explored the applications of our pore setup through numerical analysis, we discuss the findings and how they can be further used to enhance the design and setup of solid state nanopores towards such applications. In the end to conclude, A few key steps in the direction of enhancing the capability of solid-state nanopores as sensors, the membrane-based pores and their possible applications and target sequence modifications with the objective of pore-based sensing have been discussed.
Leyla Esfandiari, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Chong Ahn, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Rashmi Jha, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
100 p.

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Citations

  • Rana, A. (2018). A Study Of Electrokinetics In Glass Nanopores For Biomolecular Applications [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1540564690902075

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rana, Ankit. A Study Of Electrokinetics In Glass Nanopores For Biomolecular Applications. 2018. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1540564690902075.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rana, Ankit. "A Study Of Electrokinetics In Glass Nanopores For Biomolecular Applications." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1540564690902075

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)