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Simultaneous Measurement of the Dissolution Kinetics of Responsive DNA Hydrogels at Multiple Length Scales

Simon, Anna J., Walls-Smith, Luke T., Fredd, Matthew J., Fong, Yi Fong, Gubala, Vladimir, Plaxco, Kevin W. (2017) Simultaneous Measurement of the Dissolution Kinetics of Responsive DNA Hydrogels at Multiple Length Scales. ACS Nano, 11 (1). pp. 461-468. ISSN 1936-0851. (doi:10.1021/acsnano.6b06414) (KAR id:59843)

Abstract

Recent years have seen increasing study of stimulus-responsive hydrogels constructed from aptamer-connected DNA building blocks. Presumably due to a lack of simple, quantitative tools with which to measure gel responsiveness, however, the literature describing these materials is largely qualitative. In response we demonstrate here simple, time-resolved, multiscale methods for measuring the response kinetics of these materials. Specifically, by employing trace amounts of fluorophore-quencher labeled crosslinkers and the rheology of entrapped fluorescent particles we simultaneously measure dissolution at molecular, hundred-nanometer, and hundred-micron length-scales. For our test-bed system, an adenine-responsive hydrogel, we find biphasic response kinetics dependent on both effector concentration and depth within the gel and a dissolution pattern uniform at scales longer than a few times the monomer-monomer distance. Likewise, we find that, in agreement with theoretical predictions, dissolution kinetics over the hundred nanometer length scale exhibit a power-law-like dependence on the fraction of disrupted crosslinks before a distinct crossover from solid-like to liquid-like behavior

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1021/acsnano.6b06414
Uncontrolled keywords: rheology, smart materials, aptamers, macromolecular assemblies, gels, soft matter, Medway School of Pharmacy
Subjects: Q Science > QD Chemistry > QD431 Organic Chemistry- Biochemistry- Proteins, peptides, amino acids
Q Science > QD Chemistry > QD473 Physical properties in relation to structure
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Medway School of Pharmacy
Depositing User: Vladimir Gubala
Date Deposited: 11 Jan 2017 15:08 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2022 00:09 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/59843 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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