Ultrafast Photothermal Release of DNA from Gold Nanoparticles

We report results on ultrafast photothermal release of DNA from gold nanoparticles. We show that dehybridization of oligonucleotide duplex anchored on a gold nanoparticle surface occurs during a single laser pulse, leading to the release of single-strand DNA in solution. Breaking of the Au-S bond anchoring the duplex and the release of thiolated DNA are also evidenced. Our findings show that the size distribution of the nanoparticles plays a major role in the control of both phenomena. We establish a criterion regarding the size distribution of nanoparticles that allows full release of DNA without breaking of the anchoring thiol bonds.