DNA Electrophoresis on Two-dimensional Arrays of SiO₂ Beads

Abstract

A novel approach of fabricating 2-D arrays of SiO 2 beads on a Si surface using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique is reported. The corrugated surfaces were tested as a separation media for surface electrophoresis of DNA molecules. The measured electrophoretic mobility for λ -DNA is only 20% slower than previously measured on a flat Si wafer. This indicates that the separation mechanism is due to surface friction rather than biased reptation as reported by Tinland in the three dimensional Silica bead matrix where the mobility is two orders of magnitude smaller.