Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy and Raman spectroscopy studies of RNA bound carbon nanotubes.

While present studies on the integration of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with biomolecules have centered primarily on deoxyribonucleic acid and proteins, this report is focused on the binding of SWNTs with ribonucleic acid polymer poly(rU). We present fluorescence and spectroscopic evidences for the binding of poly(rU) molecules along the contour of isolated SWNTs which suggests that the π-stacking may dominate the hydrophobic interaction between the poly(rU) bases and the π-electrons of the SWNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]