Sample preparation method to improve the efficiency of high-throughput single-molecule force spectroscopy

Abstract

Inefficient sample preparation methods hinder the performance of high-throughput single-molecule force spectroscopy (H-SMFS) for viscous damping among reactants and unstable linkage. Here, we demonstrated a sample preparation method for H-SMFS systems to achieve a higher ratio of effective target molecules per sample cell by gas-phase silanization and reactant hydrophobization. Digital holographic centrifugal force microscopy (DH-CFM) was used to verify its performance. The experimental result indicated that the DNA stretching success ratio was improved from 0.89% to 13.5%. This enhanced efficiency preparation method has potential application for force-based DNA stretching experiments and other modifying procedures.