Translocation of single-stranded DNA through single-walled carbon nanotubes.
We report the fabrication of devices in which one single-walled carbon nanotube spans a barrier between two fluid reservoirs, enabling direct electrical measurement of ion transport through the tube. A fraction of the tubes pass anomalously high ionic currents. Electrophoretic transport of small single-stranded DNA oligomers through these tubes is marked by large transient increases in ion current and was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analysis. Each current pulse contains about 10(7) charges, an enormous amplification of the translocated charge. Carbon nanotubes simplify the construction of nanopores, permit new types of electrical measurements, and may open avenues for control of DNA translocation.
Liu
Haitao
H
Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
He
Jin
J
Tang
Jinyao
J
Liu
Hao
H
Pang
Pei
P
Cao
Di
D
Krstic
Predrag
P
Joseph
Sony
S
Lindsay
Stuart
S
Nuckolls
Colin
C
D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004563:Electrochemistry; D017136:Ion Transport; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides