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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Imbibition of Femtoliter-Scale DNA-Rich Aqueous Droplets into Porous Nylon Substrates by Molecular Printing
Salvatore FeoSalvatore Antonio Maria CubisinoAlessandro DesideriPatrizia CancemiF CavaleriBirgitta R. KnudsenAlessio OttavianiClaudia PelleritoGiuseppe ArrabitoBruno PignataroMarianne Smedegaard HedeVittorio FerraraYi-ping Hosubject
Materials scienceDiffusionSettore CHIM/05 - Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali PolimericiEvaporation02 engineering and technology010402 general chemistry01 natural sciencesSurface tensionMolecular ImprintingViscosityElectrochemistrySurface TensionGeneral Materials Sciencedroplets imbibition molecular printing nylon substrates biosensors microarraysPorositySpectroscopyMicrochannelFemtoliterNucleic Acid HybridizationWaterSurfaces and InterfacesDNA021001 nanoscience & nanotechnologyCondensed Matter Physics0104 chemical sciencesNylonsChemical engineeringSettore CHIM/03 - Chimica Generale E InorganicaImbibition0210 nano-technologyHydrophobic and Hydrophilic InteractionsPorositydescription
This work presents the first reported imbibition mechanism of femtoliter (fL)-scale droplets produced by microchannel cantilever spotting (μCS) of DNA molecular inks into porous substrates (hydrophilic nylon). Differently from macroscopic or picoliter droplets, the downscaling to the fL-size leads to an imbibition process controlled by the subtle interplay of evaporation, spreading, viscosity, and capillarity, with gravitational forces being quasi-negligible. In particular, the minimization of droplet evaporation, surface tension, and viscosity allows for a reproducible droplet imbibition process. The dwell time on the nylon surface permits further tuning of the droplet lateral size, in accord with liquid ink diffusion mechanisms. The functionality of the printed DNA molecules is demonstrated at different imbibed oligonucleotide concentrations by hybridization with a fluorolabeled complementary sequence, resulting in a homogeneous coverage of DNA within the imbibed droplet. This study represents a first step toward the μCS-enabled fabrication of DNA-based biosensors and microarrays into porous substrates.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-12-02 |