Acoustically shaped DNA-programmable materials
Zohar A. Arnon, Silvia Piperno, Daniel C. Redeker, Eileen L. Randall, Alexei V. Tkachenko, Hagay Shpaisman, Oleg Gang
Abstract
Recent advances in DNA nanotechnology allow for the assembly of nanocomponents with nanoscale precision, leading to the emergence of DNA-based material fabrication approaches. Yet, transferring these nano- and micron-scale structural arrangements to the macroscale morphologies remains a challenge, which limits the development of materials and devices based on DNA nanotechnology. Here, we demonstrate a materials fabrication approach that combines DNA-programmable assembly with actively driven processes controlled by acoustic fields. This combination provides a prescribed nanoscale order, as dictated by equilibrium assembly through DNA-encoded interactions, and field-shaped macroscale morphology, as regulated by out-of-equilibrium materials formation through specific acoustic stimulation. Using optical and electron microscopy imaging and x-ray scattering, we further revealed the nucleation processes, domain fusion, and crystal growth under different acoustically stimulated conditions. The developed approach provides a pathway for the fabrication of complexly shaped macroscale morphologies for DNA-programmable nanomaterials by controlling spatiotemporal characteristics of the acoustic fields. DNA nanotechnology is useful in preparing nano- and meso-components, but transfer to macroscale arrangements is challenging. Here, the authors report an assembly approach combining DNA programmable assembly with process controlled by acoustic fields to prepare macroscale morphologies.