EPFL DOCTORATE AWARD 2017 – JIANDONG FENG

"For his exceptional contributions to the applications and fundamental understanding in the field of nanofluidics and biophysics. In particular applications include: engineering innovations in nanopore based DNA sequencing and osmotic power generation, while in basic science the fact that the ionic Coulomb blockade model may contribute to our understanding of voltage-gated ion channels."

Controlling the passage of individual objects for quantitative measurements originated from ancient civilizations. One example is the hourglass, with a narrow bottleneck that allows a regulated trickle of sands for measuring the passage of time. Modern nanotechnology enables us to engineer this bottleneck at the single nanometer scale. In nature, the passage of ions and molecules through nanometer sized holes plays a crucial role in biology. We try to understand such processes and demonstrate their potential applications.

Nanopore experiments are based on the measurement of ion passage through a pore and its modulation due to the translocation of individual molecules or the change of the local physical environment. This thesis began with engineering atomically thin molybdenum disulfide nanopores for sensing the modulation of ionic current from the translocation of DNA molecules towards sequencing. Controlling single ion transport in the engineered subnanometer realm further led to the discovery of ionic Coulomb blockade, a phenomenon similar to its counterpart in quantum dots. These nanopores also allowed the exploration of atomically thin membranes for measuring osmotic power conversion from the point of view of a single fluidic channel. This thesis demonstrated nanopores can be used to probe chemical structures and physical processes.

Picture authors: EPFL/Tremani