Control of DNA Capture by Nanofluidic Transistors
ACS Nano, 6 (8):
6767--6775 (Jul 4, 2012)DOI: 10.1021/nn3014917
Abstract
We report the use of an array of electrically gated ?200 nm solid-state pores as nanofluidic transistors to manipulate the capture and passage of DNA. The devices are capable of reversibly altering the rate of DNA capture by over 3 orders of magnitude using sub-1 V biasing of a gate electrode. This efficient gating originates from the counter-balance of electrophoresis and electroosmosis, as revealed by quantitative numerical simulations. Such a reversible electronically tunable biomolecular switch may be used to manipulate nucleic acid delivery in a fluidic circuit, and its development is an important first step toward active control of DNA motion through solid-state nanopores for sensing applications.