DNA-regulated micro- and nanoparticle assembly

The ability to regulate the assembly of DNA-capped micro-and nanoparticles through balanced inter-particle interactions over a broad range of particle sizes and interparticle interaction energies was demonstrated. Both DNA-capped microscale and nanoscale systems consisted of an equipolar mixture of two types of particle, which were functionalized with a composition of complementary linker ssDNA and noncomplementary ssDNA. The surface fraction was controlled through functionalization conditions. The microscale assembly of DNA-capped PS was monitored by optical microscopy. The results show that DNA acts as a steric component, and its can be easily exploited for future interaction fine tuning through DNA-designed recognition, or used as additional sites for more complex multicomponent or multiscale assembly systems.