Dynamic motions of DNA molecules in an array of plasmonic traps

Abstract

DNA molecules can undergo dynamic motion by fluidic and plasmonic forces. The latter, very weak compared to the former, can alter the trajectory of DNA molecules from their original fluid direction. For analyzing the trajectory of DNA molecules, it is easier to view the force exerting plasmonic trap as a potential well. The potential well can be placed periodically forming a kinetically biased landscape. The motion of DNA molecules in this is the main subject of this study. In this paper, a scaled-up mock-up of DNA molecules and the unit-cell of the periodic potential landscape is fabricated by 3D printing and they are used to experimentally obtain the trajectory data. The data is then inputted into a computer simulation to check the trajectory of DNA molecules along the entire array of plasmonic traps. The novel analysis method provided in this paper can be used in the design of an array of plasmonic traps. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016.