Collision of a long DNA molecule with an isolated nanowire

Electrophoresis. 2010 Nov;31(22):3675-80. doi: 10.1002/elps.201000331. Epub 2010 Oct 21.

Abstract

We provide an experimental test of the universal behavior arising in simulations of the electrophoretic collision of a long DNA molecule with an isolated, thin post. Our experiments take advantage of a robust protocol to embed matrices of circa 100 nm radius ZnO nanowires in a microfluidic channel. The density and height of the nanowires are easily controlled by the seeding and growth conditions. Single-molecule videomicroscopy of λ-DNA electrophoresis in a sparse nanowire array shows that the average holdup time decays exponentially with the impact parameter, in agreement with simulations. Only at the largest electric field studied here does the hooking probability approach that for an infinitesimally thin post.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Bacteriophage lambda
  • Computer Simulation
  • DNA, Viral / chemistry*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques*
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Nanowires / chemistry*
  • Nanowires / ultrastructure
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Particle Size
  • Regression Analysis
  • Zinc Oxide / chemistry

Substances

  • DNA, Viral
  • Zinc Oxide