Effects of Dissimilar Electrode Materials and Electrode Position on DNA Motion During Electrophoresis

Abstract

Electrophoretic systems commonly use metal electrodes in their construction. This paper explores and reports the differences in the electrophoretic motion of DNA (decomposition voltage, electrical field, etc.) when one electrode is constructed from a semiconductor, silicon, rather than metal. Experimental VI (voltage-current) curves for different electrode configurations (using steel and silicon) are presented. Experimental results are used to update and validate the mathematical model to reflect the differences in material selection. In addition, the model predicts large curved-field motion for DNA motion. The model helps to quantify the effect of parameters on DNA motion in biological microelectromechanical systems in order to improve device designs and protocols.