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Versatile ultrathin nanoporous silicon nitride membranes

Single- and multiple-nanopore membranes are both highly interesting for biosensing and separation processes, as well as their ability to mimic biological membranes. The density of pores, their shape, and their surface chemistry are the key factors that determine membrane transport and separation capabilities. Here, we report silicon nitride (SiN) membranes with fully controlled porosity, pore geometry, and pore surface chemistry. An ultrathin freestanding SiN platform is described with conical or double-conical nanopores of diameters as small as several nanometers, prepared by the track-etching technique. This technique allows the membrane porosity to be tuned from one to billions of pores per square centimeter. We demonstrate the separation capabilities of these membranes by discrimination of dye and protein molecules based on their charge and size. This separation process is based on an electrostatic mechanism and operates in physiological electrolyte conditions. As we have also shown, the separation capabilities can be tuned by chemically modifying the pore walls. Compared with typical membranes with cylindrical pores, the conical and double-conical pores reported here allow for higher fluxes, a critical advantage in separation applications. In addition, the conical pore shape results in a shorter effective length, which gives advantages for single biomolecule detection applications such as nanopore-based DNA analysis.