Transport of biomolecules in asymmetric nanofilter arrays
Author(s)
Liu, G. R.; Li, Zi Rui; Hadjiconstantinou, Nicolas; Chen, Yu Zong; Wang, Jian-Sheng; Han, Jongyoon; ... Show more Show less
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We propose a theoretical model for describing the electric-field-driven migration of rod-like biomolecules in nanofilters comprising a periodic array of shallow passages connecting deep wells. The electrophoretic migration of the biomolecules is modeled as transport of point-sized Brownian particles, with the orientational degree of freedom captured by an entropy term. Using appropriate projections, the formulation dimensionality is reduced to one physical dimension, requiring minimal computation and making it ideal for device design and optimization. Our formulation is used to assess the effect of slanted well walls on the energy landscape and resulting molecule mobility. Using this approach, we show that asymmetry in the well shape, such as a well with one slanted and one vertical wall, may be used for separation using low-frequency alternating-current fields because the mobility of a biomolecule is different in the two directions of travel. Our results show that, compared to methods using direct-current fields, the proposed method remains effective at higher field strengths and can achieve comparable separation using a significantly shorter device.
Date issued
2009-01Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceJournal
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Citation
Li, Zi, G. R. Liu, Jongyoon Han, Yu Zong Chen, Jian-Sheng Wang, and Nicholas G. Hadjiconstantinou. “Transport of biomolecules in asymmetric nanofilter arrays.” Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 394.2 (2009): 427-435.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
1618-2650
1618-2642
Keywords
nanofluidics, asymmetric nanofilter, DNA separation, entropy barrier, Brownian ratchet, molecular transport