A finite-cluster phase in λ-DNA-coated colloids

Schmatko, Tatiana; Bozorgui, Behnaz; Geerts, Nienke; Frenkel, Daan; Eiser, Erika; Poon, Wilson

doi:10.1039/b618028k

Cited by 31 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…1 These features make DNA a promising mediator for the "bottom-up" assembly of nanostructured materials. 2-7 One method to realize DNA-linked materials is to tether single strands of DNA (ssDNA) to a "hub," such as a colloid [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] or nanoparticle (NP). 4,5,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Through the appropriate choice of nucleotide sequence, ssDNA tethered to different NPs can hybridize to make double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) that link complex networks of NPs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stability of DNA-linked nanoparticle crystals: Effect of number of strands, core size, and rigidity of strand attachment

Padovan-Merhar

Lara

Starr

2011

The Journal of Chemical Physics

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Three-dimensional ordered lattices of nanoparticles (NPs) linked by DNA have potential applications in novel devices and materials, but most experimental attempts to form crystals result in amorphous packing. Here we use a coarse-grained computational model to address three factors that impact the stability of bcc and fcc crystals formed by DNA-linked NPs : (i) the number of attached strands to the NP surface, (ii) the size of the NP core, and (iii) the rigidity of the strand attachment. We find that allowing mobility in the attachment of DNA strands to the core NP can very slightly increase or decrease melting temperature T(M). Larger changes to T(M) result from increasing the number of strands, which increases T(M), or by increasing the core NP diameter, which decreases T(M). Both results are consistent with experimental findings. Moreover, we show that the behavior of T(M) can be quantitatively described by the model introduced previously [F. Vargas Lara and F. W. Starr, Soft Matter, 7, 2085 (2011)].

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stability of DNA-linked nanoparticle crystals: Effect of number of strands, core size, and rigidity of strand attachment

Padovan-Merhar

Lara

Starr

2011

The Journal of Chemical Physics

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“…[4][5][6] By appropriate choice of base sequences, the functionalized NP can self-assemble by the formation of dsDNA links. This approach has been experimentally studied for both colloidal [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] and NP 6,16-28 core units, and in most cases it has been found that the particles form disordered aggregates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stability of DNA-linked nanoparticle crystals I: Effect of linker sequence and length

Lara

Starr

2011

Soft Matter

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The creation of three-dimensional, crystalline-ordered nanoparticle (NP) structures linked by DNA has proved experimentally challenging. Here we aim to systematically study parameters that influence the relative thermodynamic and kinetic stability of such crystals. To avoid experimental bottlenecks and directly control molecular-scale parameters, we carry out molecular dynamics simulations of a coarsegrained model in which short DNA strands (6 to 12 bp) are tethered to a NP core. We examine the influence of the number of bases per strand L, number of linking bases l and the number of spacer bases s on the stability of crystal states. We also consider the effect of using a single linking NP type versus a binary linking system. We explicitly compute the free energy, entropy, and melting point T M for BCC and FCC lattices. We show that binary systems are preferable for generating BCC lattices, while a single NP type generates the most stable FCC crystals. We propose a simple model for short DNA strands that can account for T M of all our data. The model also indicates that the heat of fusion between crystal and amorphous phases grows linearly with l, providing a route to maximize the relative crystal stability.

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“…Confocal microscopy identified the formation of stable sizelimited clusters in which the two types of particles are in contact. The simulations suggest that entropic exclusion of the bridging DNA from space between the nearby particle surfaces hinders the formation of crystals in milimeter-sized NPs [175].…”

Section: Coarse-grained Modelsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Self-assembly of DNA-functionalized colloids

Theodorakis¹,

Fytas²,

Kahl³

et al. 2015

Condens. Matter Phys.

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Colloidal particles grafted with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) chains can self-assemble into a number of different crystalline structures, where hybridization of the ssDNA chains creates links between colloids stabilizing their structure. Depending on the geometry and the size of the particles, the grafting density of the ssDNA chains, and the length and choice of DNA sequences, a number of different crystalline structures can be fabricated. However, understanding how these factors contribute synergistically to the self-assembly process of DNA-functionalized nano-or micro-sized particles remains an intensive field of research. Moreover, the fabrication of long-range structures due to kinetic bottlenecks in the self-assembly are additional challenges. Here, we discuss the most recent advances from theory and experiment with particular focus put on recent simulation studies.

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A finite-cluster phase in λ-DNA-coated colloids

Cited by 31 publications

References 13 publications

Stability of DNA-linked nanoparticle crystals: Effect of number of strands, core size, and rigidity of strand attachment

Stability of DNA-linked nanoparticle crystals: Effect of number of strands, core size, and rigidity of strand attachment

Stability of DNA-linked nanoparticle crystals I: Effect of linker sequence and length

Self-assembly of DNA-functionalized colloids

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