A method for label-free electrical impedance sensing of DNA is proposed, and experimentally demonstrated using a micro Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (µ- EIS) device. The method features not only the detection of DNA without any labelling, but also the control of the conformation that would enhance the electrical impedance signal. In order to conduct semiautomated measurements controlled by an external PC, a microfluidic chip made of a silicone elastomer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a measurement chip embedded with micro-electrodes, and a micropump chip are fully integrated in the µ-EIS device. The µ-EIS device is capable of detecting DNA concentrations of a few nM in aqueous solution of a few pL in volume by virtue of the conformation-enhanced nonlinear impedance response. As a first demonstration of conformational-change-induced DNA analysis, the frequency and the electric field strength dependence of various lengths of DNA are evaluated.

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