Double-functionalized nanopore-embedded gold electrodes for rapid DNA sequencing
Abstract
We have studied the effect of double-functionalization on gold electrodes for improving nanopore-based DNA sequencing. The functionalizing molecular probes are, respectively, capable of temporarily forming hydrogen bonds with both the nucleobase part and the phosphate group of the target DNA, thus potentially minimizing the structural fluctuations of a single-stranded DNA molecule passing between the gold electrodes. The results of our first-principles study indicate that the proposed setup yields current signals that differ by at least 1 order of magnitude for the four different nucleic acid bases, thus offering the possibility to electrically distinguish them.
- Publication:
-
Applied Physics Letters
- Pub Date:
- January 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.3673335
- Bibcode:
- 2012ApPhL.100b3701P
- Keywords:
-
- ab initio calculations;
- biochemistry;
- DNA;
- electrodes;
- fluctuations;
- gold;
- hydrogen bonds;
- molecular biophysics;
- nanobiotechnology;
- nanostructured materials;
- 87.15.B-;
- 87.15.R-;
- 87.15.Ya;
- 82.45.-h;
- Structure of biomolecules;
- Reactions and kinetics;
- Fluctuations;
- Electrochemistry and electrophoresis