Characterization of functionalized glass and indium tin oxide surfaces as substrates for super-resolution microscopy

Modern high-throughput biosensors with sensitivity down to a single analyte molecule may be possible with single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). Functionalized surfaces can be fabricated with self-assembly monolayer chemistry on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates but not glass. However, characterizations of SMLM-compatible fluorophores are primarily performed on glass substrates. Here we collect single-molecule kinetics data of isolated Alexa Fluor 647 molecules on bare and functionalized glass and ITO surfaces. Extracting the photophysical dynamics of the fluorophores allows direct comparison of behavior of this dye on these substrates and fitting data to a model that accounts for multiple reversible dark states. All surfaces had sensitivity sufficient to image single fluorophore molecules. Photophysical kinetics observed are similar between the two substrates. The photon yield from individual fluorophores was greatest on bare glass, but functionalized ITO surfaces showed superior yield to functionalized glass surfaces and nearly matched the yield of bare glass. Together these results indicate functionalized ITO as a promising substrate for modern single-molecule biosensors.