Photothermal DNA Release from Laser-Tweezed Individual Gold Nanomotors Driven by Photon Angular Momentum

• DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.8b00034
• Publication Date: 2018-03-07T04:35:43Z
• Authors: Hana Šípová; Lei Shao; Nils Odebo Länk; Daniel Andrén; Mikael Käll
• Keywords: Nanorod; Photothermal effect

Gold nanoparticles offer a unique possibility for contact-free bioanalysis and actuation with high spatial resolution that increases their potential bioapplications such as affinity-based biosensing, drug delivery, cancer treatment. Here we demonstrate an ultrasensitive optomechanical method probing releasing DNA cargo from individual gold trapped manipulated by laser tweezers. Single nanorods are operated rotational nanomotors, driven controlled circularly polarized light in aqueous solution. By dynamics analysis, resolve differences the thickness of adsorbed ultrathin molecular layers, including different conformations, nanometer resolution. We then utilize photothermal heating to release single nanomotors while measuring temperature-dependent kinetics activation energy melting process. The opens new possibilities quantification application thermally induced transitions strongly confined geometries, inside microfluidic devices cells.