title: Conductance-Based Determination of Solid-State Nanopore Size and Shape: An Exploration of Performance Limits.
abstract: Knowledge of nanopore size and shape is critical for many implementations of these single-molecule sensing elements. Geometry determination by fitting the electrolyte-concentration-dependence of the conductance of surface-charged, solid-state nanopores has been proposed to replace demanding electron microscope-based methods. The functional form of the conductance poses challenges for this method by restricting the number of free parameters used to characterize the nanopore. We calculated the electrolyte-dependent conductance of nanopores with an exponential-cylindrical radial profile using three free geometric parameters; this profile, itself, could not be uniquely geometry-optimized by the conductance. Several different structurally simplified models, however, generated quantitative agreement with the conductance, but with errors exceeding 40% for estimates of key geometrical parameters. A tractable conical-cylindrical model afforded a good characterization of the nanopore size and shape, with errors of less than 1% for the limiting radius. Understanding these performance limits provides a basis for using and extending analytical nanopore conductance models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Rhode Island, 51 Lower College Rd., Kingston, RI, USA, 02881.
authors.forename: Cameron M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Frament
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dwyer
keywords: Electric double layer; nanopore conductance; nanopore shape; nanopore surface charge; silicon nitride nanopore; silicon oxide nanopore