Assembly of highly aligned DNA strands onto Si chips

This paper reports a robust and efficient approach to assemble highly aligned DNA strands onto Si chips. The method combines advantages from molecular combing and microcontact printing to realize controlling both the density and direction of DNA strands on the Si chip. In addition, it also can be utilized to prepare stretched DNA structures on solid surfaces. Compared to approaches that use molecular combing directly on silanated surfaces, the stretched single-chain DNA structures are straighter. Furthermore, by exploiting the hydrophobic property of the intrinsic poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamp, this study also describes a simple way to produce straight bundled DNA arrays on Si and other substrates.