Speaker
Description
Elucidating the complex roles of carbohydrates in health and disease requires the development of novel biophysical methods; however, single-molecule analysis of these polymers remains a formidable challenge due to their structural heterogeneity and rapid dynamics. While solid-state nanopores offer a platform for label-free single-molecule sensing, the characterization of short polysaccharide chains—such as the widely used anticoagulant heparin—is severely limited by their high-speed translocation. In this work, we investigate the capture kinetics and translocation dynamics of heparin through bare silicon nitride nanopores. We examine the pore-molecule interactions as a function of pH to map the conformational dynamics of the polyelectrolytes during driven translocation. We discuss the underlying physical forces driving these rapid events and propose practical nanoscale modifications to reduce translocation speed, paving the way for high-fidelity carbohydrate analysis.