Electrochemical scanning tunneling microscope imaging of self-assembled monolayer of double-stranded DNA on Au(111)

J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2004 Jul;4(6):561-4. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2004.008.

Abstract

Self-assembled monolayer of a double-stranded DNA, which was formed by a 20-nt 5'-thiol-modified oligonucleotide at the interface of Au(111)/solution, has been imaged and studied with electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM). The results showed that the preferred directions of the adsorbed DNA were <110> and <112>. The measured width of the DNA stripes was 0.95 +/- 0.02 nm, which was consistent with the width of dsDNA base pairs. The contour of DNA in the STM image consisted of a series of blobs, which were due to the anchoring of the bases to the substrate along the dsDNA chain. The imaging of a large-scale array of DNA lying flat on the substrate offers a convenient method for the further application of high-resolution STM to the study of the interaction between DNA and a variety of molecules.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Composition
  • DNA / chemistry
  • DNA / ultrastructure*
  • Electrochemistry / methods*
  • Gold / chemistry*
  • Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling / methods*
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation

Substances

  • Gold
  • DNA