Surface attachment of nanoparticles using oligonucleotides

Colloidal polymer particles are widely used in a variety of applications ranging from chromatography to surface modified bioreactors in protein arrays. In the present study, surface attachment of polystyrene particles to a polystyrene substrate has been performed using oligonucleotide hybridization. Thiolated complementary oligomers of cytosine and guanine have been covalently coupled to a pyridyl disulphide (PDS) modified polyethyleneglycol tether, forming part of a triblock copolymer which is adsorbed to the polystyrene surfaces via hydrophobic polypropylene oxide center blocks. The ability to withstand shear forces was studied using a laminar flow cell and the uptake of oligomers on the particles was quantified using two complementary techniques: UV-spectroscopy and sedimentation field flow fractionation. The possibility to tether particles in a flow cell suitable for practical use in e.g. a FIA-system is demonstrated.