Patent ID: 9250207
Filing Date: 2016-02-02
CPC Classification: G01N

Claim Text:
1. A method of operating an apparatus comprising: providing an apparatus including an enclosure divided into a first chamber and a second chamber by a divider plate, said divider plate comprising a porous material layer comprising funnel-shaped pores between a first side surface and a second side surface, wherein said first side surface is a peripheral surface of said first chamber and said second side surface is a peripheral surface of said second chamber, and each of said funnel-shaped pores has a smaller opening at said first side surface than an opening at said second side surface and wherein each funnel-shaped pore has at least one tapered portion in which a cross sectional area decreases with distance from a geometrical center of each funnel-shaped pore, said divider plate further comprising a graphene portion directly contacting said first side surface, wherein a nanoscale hole extends through said graphene portion and to one of said funnel-shaped pores and is in direct communication with said smaller opening of one of said funnel-shaped pore; filling said enclosure with a sol having a sol/gel transition temperature; converting said sol into a gel by cooling said sol below said sol/gel transition temperature; inserting macromolecules including a linear chain into said first chamber; and inducing said macromolecules to pass through said divider plate by performing gel electrophoresis across said first chamber and said second chamber.