Programmable materials and the nature of the DNA bond

For over half a century, the biological roles of nucleic acids as catalytic enzymes, intracellular regulatory molecules, and the carriers of genetic information have been studied extensively. More recently, the sequence-specific binding properties of DNA have been exploited to direct the assembly of materials at the nanoscale. Integral to any methodology focused on assembling matter from smaller pieces is the idea that final structures have well-defined spacings, orientations, and stereo-relationships. This requirement can be met by using DNA-based constructs that present oriented nanoscale bonding elements from rigid core units. Here, we draw analogy between such building blocks and the familiar chemical…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: EFRI-1332411, CCF-1117210, CMMI-1120890
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Award: DE-SC0007991
• GA
  Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
• OO
  Office of Naval Research

  Awards: N000140911118, N000141110729
• AF
  Air Force Office of Scientific Research

  Award: FA9550-11-1-0275
• AR
  Army Research Office

  Award: W911NF-11-1-0024