Examination of 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) in Silica Gels through Fluorometry

Silica sol-gels synthesized through hydrolysis and condensation reactions via acid- and base-catalyzed procedures containing 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) have been examined using fluorescence spectroscopy. DAPI is a fluorescent molecule that has traditionally been used in biosensors as a target molecule and a fluorescent stain known to bind strongly to the A-T rich regions of DNA. Sol-gels containing various concentrations of DAPI were dried conventionally to form xerogels or supercritically to form aerogels and then analyzed using fluorescence spectroscopy to determine the most optimal concentration of DAPI