Statistical mechanics of DNA-nanotube adsorption

TL;DR

This paper develops a Hamiltonian-based theoretical model to describe the reversible adsorption of DNA onto carbon nanotubes, providing a new framework for understanding DNA-nanotube interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel Hamiltonian formulation for the zipper model that captures DNA-CNT interactions and enables analysis of experimental data.

Findings

Provides a theoretical basis for DNA-CNT adsorption

Enables processing of experimental data with the new model

Advances understanding of reversible DNA-nanotube interactions

Abstract

Attraction between the polycyclic aromatic surface elements of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and the aromatic nucleotides of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) leads to reversible adsorption (physisorption) between the two, a phenomenon related to hybridization. We propose a Hamiltonian formulation for the zipper model that accounts for the DNA-CNT interactions and allows for the processing of experimental data, which has awaited an available theory for a decade.