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Dr. J. Alexander Liddle
Host: Kamil Ekinci
DNA Origami: Prospects for Nanomanufacturing
3pm, Tuesday, December 2nd
Refreshments served at 2:45pm
Since its invention in 2006, DNA origami has proven to be an invaluable platform for exploring the potential of DNA nanotechnology. However, to move from research tool to manufacturing technology, a number of questions have to be answered. For example, what controls the speed and yield of an assembly process? Is it possible to integrate a broad range of heterogeneous nanostructures onto origami? What factors control the minimum spacing between them? What precision can be expected in their placement? Can high-purity products be generated? By investigating such questions we have sought to provide design rules for the fabrication of functional constructs using DNA origami as a nanoscale breadboard.
I will describe the heterogeneous integration of quantum dots (Qdots) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto origami and present data that enables us to determine the effect of the interaction of the Qdots with AuNPs on Qdot fluorescent lifetime as a function of Qdot emission wavelength, and the number, size, and spacing of the AuNPs. The data we obtain demonstrates that the placement precision of the various nanoparticles is approximately one nanometer. Combined with our earlier work on the reaction rates for the assembly process and current work on the potential for high-yield product purification, this information provides a framework for developing a set of design rules for origami-based constructs. I will demonstrate that, while perhaps not suited to the production of electronics, DNA-based methods can be very powerful for the fabrication of nanoscale sensors and theranostic agents.
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