Determining the Physical Properties of Molecules with Nanometer-Scale Pores

Nanometer-scale pores have been developed for the detection, characterization, and quantification of a wide range of analytes (e.g., ions, polymers, proteins, anthrax toxins, neurotransmitters, and synthetic nanoparticles) and for DNA sequencing. We describe the key requirements that made this method possible and how the technique evolved. Finally, we show that, despite sound theoretical work, which advanced both the conceptual framework and quantitative capability of the method, there are still unresolved questions that need to be addressed to further improve the technique.