A team of scientists from Northwestern University have discovered the technique of creating crystalline materials from DNA and nanoparticles. DNA, as is known, specifies the genetic code for all living beings.
The scientists have discovered how to build crystals with particles positioned in a similar atomic lattice configuration as found in nature by using DNA as bonds and nanoparticles as atoms. They also have made completely novel structures that do not have any natural mineral counterpart.
The Northwestern scientists have set up the basic design principles for this method of nanoparticle assembly that enable creation of different types of new materials that can be used in electronics, biomedicine, catalysis, optics, energy generation, preservation and conversion technologies. The journal Science has published the new mode and design rules for creating crystalline materials from DNA and nanostructures on October 14.
In the research, the scientists began their investigation with two nanoparticle solutions with single-stranded DNA coating. DNA strands are then added, which attach to the DNA-functionalized particles thus causing several DNA sticky ends at a specified gap from the particle surface. The attaching of the sticky ends to each other forms a macroscopic pattern of nanoparticles. By using a variety of nanoparticle combinations as well as controllable lengths of DNA linker strands, unique crystal structures are attained. The particle assembly moves from a disoriented state to an ordered state where each particle is exactly located in accordance with a crystal lattice structure after mixing and heating procedures are completed.
The researchers have reported six design rules that can be utilized to foresee the relative stability of various structures for a specified set of DNA lengths and nanoparticle sizes. They used these rules to arrange 41 distinct crystal structures with 9 different crystal symmetries. But, the design rules framed a strategy to separately adjust each of the appropriate crystallographic parameters including crystal symmetry, lattice parameters and particle size.
Source: http://www.northwestern.edu/