{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Localized Plasmonic Heating for Single-Molecule DNA Rupture Measurements in Optical Tweezers.
{Author}: Kabtiyal P;Robbins A;Jergens E;Castro CE;Winter JO;Poirier MG;Johnston-Halperin E;
{Journal}: Nano Lett
{Volume}: 24
{Issue}: 10
{Year}: 2024 Mar 13
{Factor}: 12.262
{DOI}: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c04848
{Abstract}: To date, studies on the thermodynamic and kinetic processes that underlie biological function and nanomachine actuation in biological- and biology-inspired molecular constructs have primarily focused on photothermal heating of ensemble systems, highlighting the need for probes that are localized within the molecular construct and capable of resolving single-molecule response. Here we present an experimental demonstration of wavelength-selective, localized heating at the single-molecule level using the surface plasmon resonance of a 15 nm gold nanoparticle (AuNP). Our approach is compatible with force-spectroscopy measurements and can be applied to studies of the single-molecule thermodynamic properties of DNA origami nanomachines as well as biomolecular complexes. We further demonstrate wavelength selectivity and establish the temperature dependence of the reaction coordinate for base-pair disruption in the shear-rupture geometry, demonstrating the utility and flexibility of this approach for both fundamental studies of local (nanometer-scale) temperature gradients and rapid and multiplexed nanomachine actuation.