Issue 7, 2008
From the journal:

Soft Matter

Enhanced fluorescence in electrospun dye-doped DNA nanofibers

Yogesh Ner,a   James G. Grote,d   Jeffrey A. Stuartbc  and  Gregory A. Sotzing*ac  

* Corresponding authors

a The Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, 97 N. Eagleville Rd, Storrs, CT, USA

b Center for Nanobionics, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, 97 N. Eagleville Rd, Storrs, CT, USA

c Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, 55 N. Eagleville Rd, Storrs, CT, USA
E-mail: sotzing@mail.ims.uconn.edu
Fax: +1 860 486 4745
Tel: +1 860 486 4619

d US Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, AFRL/RXPS, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, USA

Abstract

Nanoscale fibers and non-woven meshes composed of DNA complexed with a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, or CTMA) have been fabricated through electrospinning. The DNA–CTMA complex can be electrospun far more easily than DNA alone. Incorporation of a hemicyanine chromophore resulted in materials that demonstrated amplified emission as compared to thin films of identical composition. The enhanced fluorescence resulted from both the fiber morphology (5–6-fold amplification) and specific interactions (groove-binding) between the chromophore and DNA (18–21-fold amplification). The mechanical properties of freestanding electrospun non-woven fiber meshes were evaluated, and revealed stress-induced alignment of DNA strands within the DNA–CTMA fibers. These fiber-based materials are easily processable into a variety of morphologies, and have promise for applications in molecular electronics, filtration, sensors, and the medical industry.

Graphical abstract: Enhanced fluorescence in electrospun dye-doped DNA nanofibers

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/B717581G
Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Dec 2007
Accepted
20 Mar 2008
First published
01 May 2008

Soft Matter, 2008,4, 1448-1453

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Enhanced fluorescence in electrospun dye-doped DNA nanofibers

Y. Ner, J. G. Grote, J. A. Stuart and G. A. Sotzing, Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 1448 DOI: 10.1039/B717581G

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