Physical and biophysical characteristics of nanoscale tungsten oxide particles and their interaction with human genomic DNA.

Nanoscale tungsten oxide (WO3) particles were synthesized via a user-friendly solvothermal cum reduction route using sodium tungstanate (Na2WO4) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (C19H42NBr) as reactants. The X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies have revealed monoclinic phase of WO3 with an average crystallite size of 40 nm and competitive crystallographic orientation along (002), (020), (200) planes. After extracting human genomic DNA from human blood by a standard protocol (Qiagen-Kit method), they were conjugated with nanoscale WO3 particles in varying molar concentrations. The biophysical interaction of DNA bound nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, agarose gel-electrophoresis and polymerase chain reaction. Understanding physical and biophysical aspects of unconjugated and DNA conjugated WO3 would provide scope for biosensing applications.