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Using DNA to program the self-assembly of colloidal nanoparticles and microparticles

Nature Reviews Materials volume 1, Article number: 16008 (2016) Cite this article

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Abstract

DNA is not just the stuff of our genetic code; it is also a means to design self-assembling materials. Grafting DNA onto nano- and microparticles can, in principle, ‘program’ them with information that tells them exactly how to self-assemble. Although fully programmable assembly has not yet been realized, the groundwork has been laid: with an understanding of how specific interparticle attractions arise from DNA hybridization, we can now make systems that reliably assemble in and out of equilibrium. We discuss these advances, and the design rules that will allow us to control — and ultimately program — the assembly of new materials.

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Figure 1: Examples of DNA-mediated self-assembly.
Figure 2: DNA hybridization induces an effective interaction potential between DNA-grafted particles.
Figure 3: Equilibrium phase behaviour of simple systems is similar at the nanoscale and the microscale.
Figure 4: Non-equilibrium routes to assembly produce colloidal clusters and bicontinuous gels.
Figure 5: Forms of information for programming self-assembly.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Brenner, D. Frenkel, O. Gang, A. Tkachenko, W. Jacobs, D. Pine, P. Chaikin, J. Crocker and B. Mognetti for discussions and the National Science Foundation for funding through grant no. DMR-1435964.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    W. Benjamin Rogers & Vinothan N. Manoharan

  2. Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, 02453, Massachusetts, USA

    W. Benjamin Rogers

  3. Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Shih

  4. Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Shih

  5. Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Shih

  6. Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Vinothan N. Manoharan

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  1. W. Benjamin Rogers
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Correspondence to W. Benjamin Rogers, William M. Shih or Vinothan N. Manoharan.

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Rogers, W., Shih, W. & Manoharan, V. Using DNA to program the self-assembly of colloidal nanoparticles and microparticles. Nat Rev Mater 1, 16008 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/natrevmats.2016.8

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