Fig. 3.
Parking, loading, and synchronized formation of T4 DNA dumbbells. Schematic of electrical signal triggering synchronized loading and dumbbell formation of parked DNA molecules into nanoslits. Micrographs (superimposed fluorescence and DIC), accompanied by cartoons, show T4 (165.6 kb) DNA molecules within several microchannels (t = 0 s) migrating toward the molecular gates (Vp = 20 V) for parking. (Parking: 1–2) A portion of these DNA molecules now resides (Vp = 20 V; t = 70.10 s) within molecular gates, and are now parked. (Loading: 3–4) Parked molecules are triggered (t = 70.32 s) to synchronously load into the adjoining slits by a short, higher-voltage pulse (1.0 s; VL = 70 V) to form an array of dumbbells (Dumbbells: 5) (t = 74.01 s).