Fabrication and Surface Functionalization of Highly Birefringent Particles for Optical Torque Wrench

Abstract

We report a surface passivation method for single-molecule studies that can decrease non-specific binding of biomolecules by at least 10-fold as compared to the widely used polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface. As demonstrated for a variety of biological systems, the new surface does not perturb the behavior and activities of biomolecules. Reduction in preparation time and cost is another major advantage. The reported approach can replace the PEG protocol and expand the reach of the powerful single-molecule experimental tools.