Stretch-and-positioning of single stranded DNA as a template for molecular construction

The high-specificity self-assembling nature of DNA makes the molecule a candidate for the template for the molecular construction. In order to construct a functional device, the template must be positioned onto a predetermined site on a substrate to allow external connections, and the components must be properly aligned onto the template. A key factor is the high yield of binding. Such high yield requires that the bases of the template DNA be exposed so that its counterpart can interact freely, and the template be stretched to avoid folding or coiling that hampers the interaction. For this purpose, we have developed a method, by which a single-stranded DNA is stretched and immobilized bridging over an electrode pair, with the molecular ends anchored while the middle part is left free to interact with foreign molecules.