Comparison of WS2 and MoS2 Nanopores for Identification of Different Proteins

Solid-state nanopores, as a powerful tool for single-molecule detection, have undergone significant development over the past two decades since their successful fabrication. Two-dimensional (2D) materials emerge as excellent candidates for the substrate of solid-state nanopores owing to their ultrathin thickness. This paper presents a comprehensive set of experimental results for the identification of two types of proteins, Klenow fragment (KF) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Tungsten disulfide (WS2) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanopores were used for this purpose. Focused ion beam (FIB) is employed to drill nanopores on these 2D materials. Ionic current is recorded to extract translocation events, followed by statistical analysis. It is demonstrated that KF and BSA can be identified more effectively using WS2 nanopores compared to MoS2 nanopores.