Growth and Detachment of 5 Helix DNA Ribbons

We report on the concentration-dependent surface-assisted growth and time-temperature-dependent detachment of one-dimensional 5 helix DNA ribbons (5HR) on a mica substrate. The growth coverage ratio was determined by varying the concentration of the 5HR strands in a test tube, and the detachment rate of 5HR on mica was determined by varying the incubation time at a fixed temperature on a heat block. The topological changes in the concentration-dependent attachment and the time-temperature-dependent detachment for 5HR on mica were observed via atomic force microscopy. The observations indicate that 5HR started to grow on mica at ~10 nM and provided full coverage at ~50 nM. In contrast, 5HR at 65 °C started to detach from mica after 5 min and was completely removed after 10 min. The growth and detachment coverage show a sinusoidal variation in the growth ratio and a linear variation with a rate of detachment of 20%/min, respectively. The physical parameters that control the stability of the DNA structures on a given substrate should be studied to successfully integrate DNA structures for physical and chemical applications.