Thiol- and disulfide-modified oligonucleotide monolayer structures on polycrystalline and single-crystal Au(111) surfaces

We provide a comprehensive study of single- (ss) and double-strand (ds) oligonucleotides with either 25 or 10 bases or base pairs (bp) immobilized on polycrystalline and single-crystal Au(111) surfaces. The study is based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, interfacial capacitance data, and electrochemical scanning tunnelling microscopy (in situ STM). The sequences used were the 25-bp sequence from the BRCA1 gene (25-mer), while the 10-bp oligonucleotides contained solely linear adenine and thymine sequences. The oligonucleotides were modified by the dimethoxytrityl group (DMT) via a disulfide group [DMT-S-S-ss25-mer and DMT-S-S-ds(AT)₁₀], a pure disulfide group (A₁₀-S-S-T₁₀), or a thiol group [HS-ss25-mer and HS-ds-(AT)₁₀], all via a hexamethylene linker. The overall pattern suggests strategies for controlled adsorption of DNA-based molecules and recognition of complementary strands or other molecules.