DNA STRETCHING IN SURFACTANT-STABILIZED MICROCHANNEL

DNA molecules are transported and stretched through a surfactant-stabilized virtual microchannel between two reservoir droplets driven on a digital microfluidic (DMF) platform without sophisticated nanostructures or nanomanipulation techniques. We constructed the surfactant-stabilized microchannels with length 4 mm, width 2 mu m, and height 50 mu m using the Triton X-100 surfactant solution as the working fluid. After adding DNA molecules into the working fluid, DNA molecules were stretched at the proximity of the entrance of the surfactant-stabilized microchannel when pumping the working fluid between two droplets.