Molecular Design of Solid-State Nanopores: Fundamental Concepts and Applications

Solid-state nanopores are fascinating objects that enable the development of specific and efficient chemical and biological sensors, as well as the investigation of the physicochemical principles ruling the behavior of biological channels. The great variety of biological nanopores that nature provides regulates not only the most critical processes in the human body, including neuronal communication and sensory perception, but also the most important bioenergetic process on earth: photosynthesis. This makes them an exhaustless source of inspiration toward the development of more efficient, selective, and sophisticated nanopore-based nanofluidic devices. The key point responsible for the vibrant and exciting advance of solid nanopore research in the last decade has been the simultaneous combination of advanced fabrication nanotechnologies to tailor the size, geometry, and application of novel and creative approaches to confer the nanopore surface specific functionalities and responsiveness. Here, the state of the art is described in the following critical areas: i) theory, ii) nanofabrication techniques, iii) (bio)chemical functionalization, iv) construction of nanofluidic actuators, v) nanopore (bio)sensors, and vi) commercial aspects. The plethora of potential applications once envisioned for solid-state nanochannels is progressively and quickly materializing into new technologies that hold promise to revolutionize the everyday life.