Performance of interdigitated nanoelectrodes for electrochemical DNA biosensor

An electrochemical methodology for bio-molecule sensing using an array of well-defined nanostructures is presented. We describe the fabrication by e-beam lithography of nanoelectrodes consisting of a 100 mum x 50 mum area containing interdigitated electrodes of 100 nm in width and interelectrode distance of 200 nm. Sensitivity and response time of the nanoelectrodes are compared to the responses of macro- and microelectrodes. The specificity of the sensor is studied by modifying the gold electrodes with DNA. The technique enables to characterize both single and double-stranded DNA of 15 nucleotides. A special electrochemical cell is adapted to control the temperature and measure the DNA concentration by UV analysis. The electrochemical method requires no label on the DNA, only redox mediators were used. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.