Graphene Energy Transfer for Single-Molecule Biophysics, Biosensing, and Super-Resolution Microscopy

Abstract

Graphene is considered a game-changing material, especially for its mechanical and electrical properties. This work exploits that graphene is almost transparent but quenches fluorescence in a range up to ≈40 nm. Graphene as a broadband and unbleachable energy-transfer acceptor without labeling, is used to precisely determine the height of molecules with respect to graphene, to visualize the dynamics of DNA nanostructures, and to determine the orientation of Förster-type resonance energy transfer (FRET) pairs. Using DNA origami nanopositioners, biosensing, single-molecule tracking, and DNA PAINT super-resolution with <3 nm z-resolution are demonstrated. The range of examples shows the potential of graphene-on-glass coverslips as a versatile platform for single-molecule biophysics, biosensing, and super-resolution microscopy.

Keywords: DNA origami; Förster-type resonance energy transfer; biophysics; biosensing; graphene; single molecules; super-resolution.