Monolayer Graphene Platform for the Study of DNA Damage by Low-Energy Electron Irradiation

Novel materials and devices that probe the dynamics and stability of biomolecules under nonequilibrium conditions are necessary to advance our fundamental understanding of processes such as radiation-induced carcinogenesis. Development of effective radiotherapy strategies also relies upon the ability to control low-energy electron-induced DNA breakage in vitro. Here, we report the use of a sensitive chemical-vapor-deposited graphene platform for controlled and enhanced sequence-dependent low-energy electron-induced DNA damage studies. The use of p-doped graphene on Au thin films enhances DNA breakage due to phosphate-mediated parallel adsorption geometries, direct ballistic electron transfer to dissociative sugar–phosphate shape resonances, and image-potential-induced changes in the resonance lifetimes and energy widths. Graphene adsorbed on Au thin films also provides enhanced electric fields for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The combination of these effects allows direct, rapid assessment of ≤1 eV electron-induced DNA damage as a function of base sequence without separation and amplification steps.