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Nanopores: The Passage of Homopolymeric RNA through Small Solid‐State Nanopores (Small 15/2011)
Author(s) -
van den Hout Michiel,
Skinner Gary M.,
Klijnhout Sven,
Krudde Vincent,
Dekker Nynke H.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201190052
Subject(s) - nanopore , solid state , nanotechnology , materials science , rna , membrane , molecule , chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry , gene
The cover picture, prepared by Gary M. Skinner, depicts a single molecule of the RNA homopolymer poly(U) (green), as it is electrically driven through a molecular‐sized (diameter ≈ 2 nm), solid‐state nanopore etched into a 20‐nm‐thick silicon nitride membrane. The highly flexible molecule ‘crowds’ the pore entrance, in some cases preventing translocation and instead forming a coiled structure that leads to significant blockage of the ionic current passing through the nanopore. Many biotechnological applications of nanopores require them to operate on this size‐scale, and therefore our understanding of how biopolymers behave under such conditions is critical. For more information, please read the Full Paper “The Passage of Homopolymeric RNA through Small Solid‐State Nanopores” by N. H. Dekker and co‐workers, beginning on page 2217 .