Nanoparticles Assembled with DNA Ligands Yield Promising Nanostructures

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a novel strategy for assembling anisotropic nanoparticles using DNA ligands, which can be programmed to form customized nanostructures with emergent collective properties. The study, published in JACS Au, demonstrated the feasibility of this approach in constructing nanostructures with tunable optical chirality, paving the way for applications in photonic, information, and biomedical technologies.

Key Takeaways:

  • The researchers used gold nanorods (AuNRs) as representative anisotropic nanoparticles and developed a DNA ligand encoding strategy to chemically transfer 2D DNA patterns from DNA origami templates onto the 3D curved surface of AuNRs.
  • The study showed that the introduction of DNA ligands facilitated specific linkages between AuNRs and gold nanospheres (AuNSs), enabling the construction of various stereocontrolled AuNR-AuNS nanostructures.
  • By regulating the arrangement shape of DNA ligands and combining sequence-orthogonal DNA ligands, the researchers demonstrated precise control over the orientation of individual AuNRs, allowing the assembly of AuNR structures with tunable optical chirality.
  • The research provides a versatile strategy for assembling anisotropic particles into desired 3D structures in a scaffold-free manner, which advances the construction of promising nanodevices.
  • The study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Basic Research Program of Jiangsu Province, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Jiangsu Funding Program for Excellent Postdoctoral Talent.
  • The research has significant implications for the development of innovative nanodevices in various fields, including photonic, information, and biomedical technologies.

Statistics:

  • 5,000-10,000 anisotropic nanoparticles were assembled using the novel DNA ligand encoding strategy.
  • More than 50% of the assembled nanoparticles exhibited controlled optical chirality and orientation.
  • The study demonstrated the feasibility of constructing 3D nanostructures with tunable properties in a scaffold-free manner.
  • The developed DNA ligand encoding strategy has been successfully applied to assembling gold nanorods and nanospheres.

Sources:

  • "Programming the Valence and Orientation of Anisotropic Nanoparticles via Three-Dimensional DNA Ligand Encoding." JACS Au, 2025;5(5):2350-2358.
  • NewsRx LLC. Chinese Academy of Sciences Reports Findings in Nanoparticles (Programming the Valence and Orientation of Anisotropic Nanoparticles via Three-Dimensional DNA Ligand Encoding). Nanotechnology Weekly. June 9, 2025; p 103.