As we seek to gain a mechanistic understanding of phenomena at the nanoscale, we require approaches to probe the single molecule regime. Few single molecule techniques exist to enable chemists to observe solution phase dynamics at the single molecule level. Here we extend on a recently published universal optical trapping platform for single molecule force spectroscopy in both aqueous and organic solvents. We propose that carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which have a high persistence length, can act as stiff linkers in optical trapping experiments in a variety of solvents. For biophysical measurements, stiffer linkers made from DNA origami structures have been shown to increase signal-to-noise in single molecule force spectroscopy compared to measurements using double stranded DNA or synthetic organic polymers. We argue that the use of CNTs, which are easily functionalized for click-chemistry binding in an optical tweezer, will open the door to the study of solution phase chemistry at the single molecule level.

High-resolution single molecule force spectroscopy using carbon nanotubes in an optical tweezer

256th National Meeting (2018)

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