Field Effect Regulation of DNA Translocation through a Nanopore

• Published in: Analytical chemistry (Washington) 2010-10, Vol.82 (19), p.8217-8225
• Main Authors: Ai, Ye, Liu, Jing, Zhang, Bingkai, Qian, Shizhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA - chemistry; Electric fields; Electrodes; Electroosmosis; Hydrodynamics; Ion Transport; Mathematical models; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanopores; Sequence Analysis, DNA - methods; Static Electricity
• ISSN: 0003-2700; 1520-6882
• DOI: 10.1021/ac101628e

Field effect regulation of DNA nanoparticle translocation through a nanopore using a gate electrode is investigated using a continuum model, composed of the coupled Poisson−Nernst−Planck equations for the ionic mass transport and the Navier−Stokes equations for the hydrodynamic field. The field effect regulation of the DNA translocation relies on the induced electroosmotic flow (EOF) and the particle−nanopore electrostatic interaction. When the electrical double layers (EDLs) formed adjacent to the DNA nanoparticle and the nanopore wall are overlapped, the particle−nanopore electrostatic interaction could dominate over the EOF effect, which enables the DNA trapping inside the nanopore when the applied electric field is relatively low. However, the particle−nanopore electrostatic interaction becomes negligible if the EDLs are not overlapped. When the applied electric field is relatively high, a negative gate potential can slow down the DNA translocation by an order of magnitude, compared to a floating gate electrode. The field effect control offers a more flexible and electrically compatible approach to regulate the DNA translocation through a nanopore for DNA sequencing.