Evaluation of Blob Theory for the Diffusion of DNA in Nanochannels

We have measured the diffusivity of λ-DNA molecules in approximately square nanochannels with effective sizes ranging from 117 to 260 nm at moderate ionic strength. The experimental results do not agree with the nondraining scaling predicted by blob theory. Rather, the data are consistent with the predictions of previous simulations of the Kirkwood diffusivity of a discrete wormlike chain model, without the need for any fitting parameters.