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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers
Published on: October 25, 2017
Base dependent DNA-carbon nanotube interactions: activation enthalpies and assembly-disassembly control
Fernando Albertorio1, Mary E Hughes, Jene A Golovchenko
1Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
None:
We quantify the base dependent interactions between single stranded DNA and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in solution. DNA/SWNT hybrids hold the promise of applications ranging from nanoscale electronics and assembly of nanotube based materials, to drug delivery and DNA sequencing. These applications require control over the hybrid assembly and disassembly. Our analytical assay reveals the order of nucleobase binding strengths with SWNTs as G>C>A>T. Furthermore, time dependent fixed temperature experiments that probe the kinetics of the dissociation process provide values for the equilibrium constants and dissociation enthalpies that underlie the microscopic interactions. Quantifying the base dependency of hybrid stability shows how insight into the energetics of the component interactions facilitates control over hybrid assembly and disassembly.
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