How to build nanoblocks using DNA scaffolds

¹  Department of Physics and Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Michigan 450 Church Str., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
²  Max Planck Institue for the Physics of Complex Systems - Nöthnitzerstrasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany, EU

Corresponding author: licata@umich.edu

Received: 2 June 2008
Accepted: 12 September 2008

Abstract

In recent years there have been a number of proposals to utilize the specificity of DNA-based interactions for potential applications in nanoscience. One interesting direction is the self-assembly of micro- and nanoparticle clusters using DNA scaffolds. In this letter we consider a DNA scaffold method to self-assemble clusters of “colored" particles. Stable clusters of identical microspheres have recently been produced by an entirely different method. Our DNA-based approach self-assembles clusters with additional degrees of freedom associated with particle permutation. We demonstrate that in the non-equilibrium regime of irreversible binding the self-assembly process is experimentally feasible. These color degrees of freedom may allow for more diverse intercluster interactions essential for hierarchical self-assembly of larger structures.