Optothermal molecule trapping by opposing fluid flow with thermophoretic drift

Thermophoresis moves molecules along temperature gradients, typically from hot to cold. We superpose fluid flow with thermophoretic molecule flow under well-defined microfluidic conditions, imaged by fluorescence microscopy. DNA is trapped and accumulated 16-fold in regions where both flows oppose each other. Strong 800-fold accumulation is expected, however, with slow trapping kinetics. The experiment is equally described by a three-dimensional and one-dimensional analytical model. As an application, we show how a radially converging temperature field confines short DNA into a 10 mu m small spot.