Project V: DNA dynamics in sub-persistence length channels

Nanochannels are used to control DNA conformation, entropically inducing DNA stretching for fast DNA sequencing and analysis.

For DNA in nanochannels smaller than the Kuhn length, we find that DNA relaxation time decreases as the channel becomes smaller, in contrast to DNA in microchannels. This is due to the fact long DNA relaxation modes such as rotation of the entire chain are now impossible. Thus we are now probing segmental dynamics on the length scale of the channel. This suggests that nanochannels may be used as a filter to probe a specific DNA dynamical mode, which may be important for studying DNA-protein or DNA-nanoparticle interactions.

[1] Y.-L. Chen, P.-K. Lin, C.-F. Chou, Macromolecules, 43, 10204 (2010)

[2] P.-K. Lin et al., Phys Rev E 84, 031917

[3] P.-K. Lin et al., Macromolecuels 42, 1770

[4] P.-K. Lin et al., Phys Rev E 76, 011804