Extension of nanoconfined DNA: Quantitative comparison between experiment and theory.

The extension of DNA confined to nanochannels has been studied intensively and in detail. However, quantitative comparisons between experiments and model calculations are difficult because most theoretical predictions involve undetermined prefactors, and because the model parameters (contour length, Kuhn length, effective width) are difficult to compute reliably, leading to substantial uncertainties. Here we use a recent asymptotically exact theory for the DNA extension in the "extended de Gennes regime" that allows us to compare experimental results with theory. For this purpose, we performed experiments measuring the mean DNA extension and its standard deviation while varying the channel geometry, dye intercalation ratio, and ionic strength of the buffer. The experimental results agree very well with theory at high ionic strengths, indicating that the model parameters are reliable. At low ionic strengths, the agreement is less good. We discuss possible reasons. In principle, our approach allows us to measure the Kuhn length and the effective width of a single DNA molecule and more generally of semiflexible polymers in solution.

Nano-engineered living bacterial motors for active microfluidic mixing.

Active micromixers with rotating elements are attractive microfluidic actuators in many applications because of their mixing ability at a short distance. However, miniaturising the impeller design poses technical challenges including the fabrication and driving means. As a possible solution inspired by macro magnetic bar-stirrers, this study proposes the use of tethered, rotating bacteria as mixing elements. A tethered cell is a genetically engineered, harmless Escherichia coli (E. coli) attached to a surface by a single, shortened flagellum. The tethered flagellum acts as a pivot around which the entire cell body smoothly rotates. Videomicroscopy, image analysis and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are utilised to demonstrate a proof-of-concept for the micro mixing process. Flow visualisation experiments show that a approximately 3 microm long tethered E. coli rotating at approximately 240 rpm can circulate a 1 microm polystyrene bead in the adjacent area at an average speed of nearly 4 microm/s. The Peclet (Peb) number for the stirred bead is evaluated to approximately 4. CFD simulations show that the rotary motion of a tethered E. coli rotating at 240 rpm can generate fluid velocities, up to 37 microm/s bordering the cell envelop. Based on these simulations, the Strouhal number (St) is calculated to about 2. This hybrid bio-inorganic micromxer could be used as a local, disposable mixer.