Study of DNA interaction with carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Structural characterisation of two different forms of carbon – graphite and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) has been done with Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. Interaction of nucleic acids with graphite powder and SWCNT was studied with Surface Enhanced Infrared Absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy. Analysis of DNA-SWCNT complex vibration modes has shown that the numerous structural changes in DNA have been connected with appearance of new sugar and bases conformations, changes in phosphate vibrations and could be interpreted as A-B conformation transition and stabilisation of structure in some DNA fragments. Only very slight graphite influence on DNA structure have been registered. We have proposed the model of DNA interaction with SWCNT based on wrapping of nucleic acid molecules around carbon nanotubes. The similar situation seems to occur in chromosome during DNA assembling by histones.