Electron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy studies of DNA adsorption on mica

Various methods for the deposition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules on mica are investigated to determine their reproducibility, and to quantify their ability to bind DNA. The use of these deposition methods for sample preparation for biological scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies is discussed. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) were used to investigate the quantity of DNA adsorbed. AFM images of DNA deposited using the methods investigated are presented. The combination of AFM results with AES and ESCA results provides a basic understanding of the deposition techniques studied and illustrates that electron spectroscopy can be a useful addition to studies of this nature.