carbocyanines and stannic-oxide

Tin oxide nanostructures were fabricated using a water bath technique. The structures were modified with dye-labeled DNAs for a molecular sensor. Sensing mechanism of the sensor was based on a photoelectric conversion effect. Photoluminescence intensities from the tin oxide nanostructures reached to 16 times larger than that from SnO2:F films. High photocurrent of 5.5 x 10(-6) A and high signal-to-noise ratio of 29 were achieved in this system. Photoelectric conversion on a combination of the dye-labeled DNA and the tin oxide was an essence of the sensing system. Surface nanospaces were effectively utilized to increase photoluminescence and photocurrent.

Topics: Carbocyanines; DNA; Electrochemistry; Equipment Design; Glass; Luminescence; Metal Nanoparticles; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Molecular Probe Techniques; Nanostructures; Photochemistry; Semiconductors; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; Surface Properties; Tin Compounds; Water

A conductive nanoporous antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) powder has been prepared using the sol-gel method that contains three-dimensionally interconnected pores within the metal oxide and highly tunable pore sizes on the nanoscale. It is demonstrated that these porous materials possess the capability of hosting a tetrahedral-shaped DNA nanostructure of defined dimensions with high affinity. The tunability of pore size enables the porous substrate to selectively absorb the DNA nanostructures into the metal oxide cavities or exclude them from entering the surface layer. Both confocal fluorescence microscopy and solution FRET experiments revealed that the DNA nanostructures maintained their integrity upon the size-selective incorporation into the cavities of the porous materials. As DNA nanostructures can serve as a stable three-dimensional nanoscaffold for the coordination of electron transfer mediators, this work opens up new possibilities of incorporating functionalized DNA architectures as guest molecules to nanoporous conductive metal oxides for applications such as photovoltaics, sensors, and solar fuel cells.

Topics: Antimony; Carbocyanines; DNA; Electric Conductivity; Models, Molecular; Nanopores; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Tin Compounds