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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Covalent Attachment of Single Molecules for AFM-based Force Spectroscopy
Published on: March 16, 2020
A plasma ion bombardment process enabling reagent-free covalent binding of multiple functional molecules onto
Clara T H Tran1, Michael Craggs2, Lee M Smith2
1School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Abstract:
We report a plasma immersion ion implantation process for functionalizing polymer coated magnetic particles, converting them into a universal covalent binding platform for the simultaneous binding of multiple molecular agents without the need for specialised chemical linking groups. As an example, we demonstrate the improvement of wettability and the control of surface charge of polystyrene coated magnetic particles, enhancing biomolecule attachment density with strong covalent binding. We demonstrate the preparation of multifunctional magnetic particles where two or more types of molecule are co-immobilized. This enables a platform technology with simultaneous multiple covalent binding of molecules drawn from oligonucleotides, antibodies and enzymes suitable for targeted nanoparticle diagnostic and therapies.
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