Book of Abstracts: Albany 2003

category image Albany 2003
Conversation 13
Abstract Book
June 17-21 2003

4x4 DNA Tile and Lattices: Characterization, Self-Assembly and Metallization of a Novel DNA Nanostructure Motif

Self-assembling nanostructures composed of DNA molecules (1) offer great potential for bottom-up nanofabrication of objects and materials with smaller features than ever previously possible. Recently DNA has been advanced as a useful material for constructing periodically patterned structures (2,3), nanomechanical devices, molecular computing systems and has been designed to direct the assembly of other functional molecules by the use of the appropriate attachment chemistries. Potential impact of DNA self-assembly and scaffolding include nanoelecronics, biosensors, advanced batteries and solar cells, implantable medical devices and programmable molecular machines. Here we report our findings of a novel DNA tile structure (4x4 tile). The novelty of this structure include a square aspect ratio which will help regularize the pixel array, sticky-end connections in four directions (north, south, east, and west) within the lattice plane rather than the two direction (east and west) connections utilized in most previous DNA tile arrays (DX2 and TX3 tiles). With slight variation of their sticky-ended association strategy, self-assembly of the 4x4 tiles resulted in either uniformed long (>10um) ribbon lattices or ?waffle? like two-dimensional lattices containing repeating sqaure cavities of size 17.6x17.6 nm and 19.3x19.3 nm. We have, for the first time, produced nanowires from self-assembled DNA tiling structures with silver and gold metallization of the uniformed ribbon lattice. Conductivity measurements of these DNA based nanowires showed its potential applications in nanoelectronics.


Hao Yan*
Sung Ha Park
Liping Feng
Gleb Finkelstein
John Reif
Thomas H. LaBean

Department of Computer Science
Duke University,Durham, NC 27708

References and Footnotes
  1. Seeman, N. C., Nature 421, 427-431 (2003).
  2. Winfree, E., Liu, F., Wenzler, L. A. & Seeman, N.C., Nature 394, 539-544 (1998).
  3. LaBean, T. H. et al., J.Am.Chem.Soc. 122, 1848-1860 (2000).