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DNA‐Mediated Stabilization of Self‐Assembling Bead Monolayers for Microfluidic Applications
Author(s) -
Bartke Marianne,
Eickenberg Bernhard,
Wittbracht Frank,
Hütten Andreas
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
particle and particle systems characterization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.877
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1521-4117
pISSN - 0934-0866
DOI - 10.1002/ppsc.201400093
Subject(s) - monolayer , self assembly , materials science , nanotechnology , superparamagnetism , microfluidics , colloid , linker , colloidal crystal , agglomerate , dna , chemical engineering , chemistry , magnetic field , organic chemistry , composite material , magnetization , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science , operating system , biochemistry , engineering
Forming ordered 2D or 3D arrays of colloidal particles on the micro‐ or nanometer scale in a bottom‐up process is a challenging task. In previous works by various groups, hybridization between DNA strands localized on the particle surface is used to create crystalline arrays. However, this method requires an annealing process with a duration of one day or more and usually yields agglomerates of only a few dozen particles. In this work, a method for the rapid formation of highly‐ordered 2D agglomerates of superparamagnetic microparticles (beads) is presented. Dipolar coupling between the beads under the influence of a rotating magnetic field leads to the formation of a dense monolayer. The monolayer is then stabilized through DNA hybridization between DNA strands immobilized on the bead surface and a linker strand in solution. The whole self‐assembly process requires less than an hour and is therefore significantly faster than comparable methods.