Nanopore sensing specific enhancement technique for single molecule detection

Nanopore sensors have become important tools for analyzing biomarkers, including but not limited to nucleic acids, proteins, and other biomolecules that play important roles in life. Though the nanopores themselves have no selectivity towards target molecules, with the help of the specificity enhancement technology, higher sensitivity of nanopore sensing in respond to the target biomarkers could be achieved. In this work, the basic principles of nanopore sensing are introduced first, then methods of nanopore surface modification as well as the development and application of those selectivity enhancement technologies of nanopore sensing in recent years are reviewed. These enhancement technologies primarily fall into two categories: surface functionalization and molecular probes. Surface functionalization is further categorized based on the types of functional molecules employed, while molecular probes are classified by carrier forms. Finally, the paper discusses several challenges that nanopore sensing continues to encounter and proposes suggestions for its future development.