J. Alexander Liddle The familiar double helix of DNA has its origin in the sugar-phosphate backbone structure of the four nucleotides and the complementary pairing between their adenosine and thymine (A-T), and guanine and cytosine (G-C) bases. The advent of robust, reliable, and scalable nucleic acid synthesis technology has enabled us to use the sequence-specific molecular recognition properties of DNA to fabricate nanostructures with an extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes, and stimulus-responsive behavior. The ability to functionalize other nanostructures, such as Au nanoparticles, CNTs, and quantum dots, with DNA allows us to populate DNA “breadboards” with these components. Additional functionality can be engineered into systems by directly incorporating functional groups into DNA strands using standard synthetic approaches, such as “click” chemistry to attach fluorophores or biomolecules. Finished structures can be integrated precisely and accurately into photonic or electronic devices using recently developed chemoepitaxial methods, giving us access to unique combinations of materials and functions not achievable with conventional fabrication approaches.
In this short course, I will provide a brief introduction to the structure and properties of DNA, outline the principle self-assembly approaches, ranging from “infinite” tiling systems to bounded DNA origami, then discuss approaches to functionalizing the resulting structures. I will then describe methods for integrating DNA nanostructures with conventionally fabricated devices. I will conclude with an overview of current applications and future prospects for this exciting and powerful nanofabrication technology.
J. Alexander Liddle received his B.A. and D. Phil. degrees in Materials Science from the University of Oxford. After his appointment in 1990 as a postdoctoral fellow at Bell Laboratories, he spent the next eleven years there, where his primary efforts were directed towards the research, development, and eventual commercialization of a novel electron-beam lithography technology. He is currently Scientific Director of the Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division at NIST. His division works in a variety of areas, ranging from quantum nanophotonics to biology. His personal research focus is on nanofabrication and self-assembly for nanomanufacturing. He has published over 275 papers, in areas ranging from electron-beam lithography to DNA-controlled nanoparticle assembly and holds 19 US patents. He is a fellow of the APS and the Washington Academy of Sciences, and a member of the AVS and MRS. He has served on numerous advisory and program evaluation committees, including those for NSF, DOE, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation.