Professor Kang Wang 

2002 Shaanxi Normal University, Master

2005 Nanjing University, PhD.

2005-2006 Paris University 7, Postdoc

2007-2009 Polytechnic Univercity (then joined with NYU at 2008), Postdoc

2009.12- Nanjing University

Plasmoic nanopore, Mass transport, Electrochemistry, SERS, Nano device

Single-molecule analysis based on two-dimensional nanomaterials

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, especially 2D COF, MOF, CN materials, have porous structures similar to bio nanopores, while the thickness of single-layer two-dimensional nanomaterials is much smaller than the effective thickness of bio nanopores. For the first time, our research group prepared thin-layer/single-layer COF and MOF into leak-free solid-state nanopore single-molecule analysis devices and utilized such nanopore devices. The DNA, polysaccharide and other molecules were analyzed. In addition, two-dimensional nanomaterials such as C0F, MOF and CN materials are easy to modify and can adjust or modify the pore size and characteristics at the atomic scale. Although two-dimensional nanopores of COF, MOF and CN materials show great potential in single molecule analysis, they are also faced with problems such as poor device stability and poor signal-background noise ratio caused by the porous array structure. Our group plans to make breakthroughs in the direction of DNA and protein single molecule sequencing on the basis of solving the above problems in the next 3-5 years.

Single molecule analysis based on plasma metal nanopores

Current nanopore single molecule analysis/sequencing technology is mostly achieved by monitoring the change of  current blodkage when molecules pass through nanopores, but the current change is affected by many factors such as molecular size, orientation, charge and so on, and cannot directly correspond to the chemical structure of molecules. Especially for the monomolecular protein sequence containing 20 amino acids. Even if the current blockage signal of 20 amino acids are different when they pass through the nanopore respectively, when the amino acids are connected as peptides or proteins, multiple adjacent amino acid residues on the current signal will be added to each other to produce a hard-to-identify signal. SERS spectrum can be directly related to the vibration of functional groups in molecules, and each amino acid corresponds to an independent fingerprint spectrum. Compared with current monitoring, SERS spectrum can provide information of molecular structure dimension independent of current blockage. The preparation of metal solid nanopores with high SERS activity and controlling the passage of single molecule proteins and nucleic acids will be helpful for the recognition and detection of biological single molecules. We have developed methods for the preparation of highly active nanoscale gold and silver nanopores, and have now achieved the distinction of single molecular proteins, peptides and amino acids. At the same time, we found that Raman active anopore was actually a imple and efficient platform for obtaining  a large number of single-molecule SERS spectra. This platform made it possible to conduct statistical research on SERS spectra of single molecules, observe the structural characteristics of biomolecules in the state of single molecules in solution, and realize quantitative analysis of extremely low content pollutants.

1. Wang Li, Linru Guo, Xin-Lei Ding, Yanru Ding, Li-Na Ji,* Xing-Hua Xia,* Kang Wang,* High-throughput single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic profiling of single-amino acid substitutions in peptides by a gold plasmonic nanopore, ACS Nano, 2024, 18, 19200-19207.

2. Linru Guo, Yida Han, Hong Yang, Jie Fu, Wang Li, Ran Xie,* Yuanjian Zhang,* Kang Wang,* Xing-Hua Xia，Single-molecule discrimination of saccharides using carbon nitride nanopores，Nano Letters, 2024, 24, 5639-5646.

3. Wang Li, Juan Zhou, Qing Lan, Xin-Lei Ding, Xiao-Tong Pan, Saud Asif Ahmed, Li-Na Ji,* Kang Wang,* Xing-Hua Xia, Single-molecule electrical and spectroscopic profiling protein allostery using a gold plasmonic nanopore, Nano Letters, 2023, 23, 2586-2592.

4. Juan Zhou, Qing Lan, Wang Li, Li-Na Ji,* Kang Wang,* Xing-Hua Xia, Single molecule protein segments sequencing by a plasmonic nanopore, Nano Letters, 2023, 23, 2800-2807.

5. Xiao-Lei Xing, Qiao-Bo Liao, Saud Asif Ahmed, Dongni Wang, Shibin Ren, Xiang Qin, Xin-Lei Ding, Kai Xi*, Li-Na Ji*, Kang Wang*, Xing-Hua Xia,Single molecule DNA analysis based on atomic-controllable nanopores in covalent organic frameworks, Nano Letters, 2022, 22, 1358–1365.

6. Wang Li, Juan Zhou, Nicolò Maccaferri, Roman Krahne, Kang Wang*, Denis Garoli*, Enhanced optical spectroscopy for multiplexed DNA and protein-sequencing with plasmonic nanopores: challenges and prospects, Analytical Chemistry, 2022, 94, 2, 503-514.

7. Xiao-Lei Xing, Zi-Chuan He, Saud Asif Ahmed, Qiaobo Liao, Lin-Ru Guo, Shibin Ren, Kai Xi,* Li-Na Ji,* Kang Wang,* Xing-Hua Xia, High spatial resolution of ultrathin covalent organic framework nanopores for single-molecule DNA sensing, Analytical Chemistry, 2022, 94, 9851-9855.

8. Juan Zhou, Pan-Ling Zhou, Qi Shen, Saud Asif Ahmed, Xiao-Tong Pan, Hai-Ling Liu, Xin-Lei Ding, Jian Li,* Kang Wang,* Xing-Hua Xia, Probing multidimensional structural information of single molecules transporting through a sub-10 nm conical plasmonic nanopore by SERS, Analytical Chemistry, 2021, 93, 11679−11685.

9. Ze-Yu Jiang, Hai-Ling Liu, Saud Asif Ahmed, Sumaira Hanif, Shi-Bin Ren, Jing-Juan Xu, Hong-Yuan Chen, Xing-Hua Xia, Kang Wang*, Insight into Ion Transfer through the Sub-Nanometer Channels in Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 4767-4771.

10. Hailing Liu, Qiucen Jiang, Jie Pang, Zeyu Jiang, Jiao Cao, Lina Ji, Xinghua Xia, Kang Wang*, A Multiparameter pH-Sensitive Nanodevice Based on Plasmonic Nanopores, Advanced Functional Materials 2018, 28, 1703847.