Monitoring DNA hybridization on alkyl modified silicon surface through capacitance measurement

Single strand oligodeoxynucleotide is attached to the alkyl modified silicon surface through a peptide bond. The oligodeoxynucleotide-modified silicon substrate is used as a working electrode in an electrochemical cell system. After the electrode is treated by a solution containing strands of complementary oligodeoxynucleotide the Mott-Schottky measurements exhibit obvious negative shift in the flat band potential of the electrode, while in a control experiment treated with a solution of non-complementary oligodeoxynucleotide such a shift does not occur. The DNA hybridization is also manifested in a real time capacitance measurement. A DNA sensor based on the capacitance measurement could be more convenient than that based on a fluorescence detection.