Nanobubbles Affect Analyte Translocation through Glass Nanopores by Inducing Two-Stage Current Signals

Area of Science:

• Nanopore sensing
• Biophysics
• Signal processing

Background:

• Noise reduction is critical for accurate nanopore detection.
• Bubbles are a significant source of noise in nanopore measurements.
• The impact of bubbles on analyte translocation dynamics remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of bubbles on analyte translocation currents in nanopores.
• To analyze how bubble size and position influence translocation signals.
• To provide insights for mitigating bubble-induced noise in nanopore sensing.

Main Methods:

• Conducting experimental nanopore measurements.
• Performing computational simulations of bubble-analyte interactions.
• Analyzing translocation current data to quantify bubble effects.

Main Results:

• Bubbles were found to distort analyte translocation current signals.
• Bubble size and position significantly affect the degree of current distortion.
• This distortion complicates accurate analyte size determination via current analysis.

Conclusions:

• Bubbles interfere with nanopore analyte translocation events.
• Understanding bubble dynamics is key to improving nanopore signal accuracy.
• This research offers strategies to minimize bubble interference for enhanced detection.