Because electronic and mechanical devices continue to decrease in size, exploring nontraditional fabrication methods provides added opportunities. For example, materials not currently used in devices, such as biological molecules, can contribute to new fabrication procedures. Self-assembling biological molecules especially show promise as useful starting materials, because nanodevice fabrication can exploit interactions that lead to highly specific self-assembly. DNA origami is a method that folds pieces of single-stranded DNA into designed structures by taking advantage of nucleotide base-pairing. Designs that include single-stranded extensions can provide further attachment points for other materials such as metal nanoparticles and nanorods. Such specific placement of metal on a DNA origami template can create nanowires as part of a larger nanocircuit. 2-D DNA origami templates can help position materials in a planar circuit pattern, but 3-D DNA origami uses a third dimension to further compact the nanocircuit elements. To test possible applications of 3-D origami, I designed a tube-shaped DNA origami with a hollow center. To verify correct folding of DNA origami structures, I stained them with lanthanum (III) and lead (II) and imaged them with SEM. I also made two variations of the tube-shaped origami, one with a location for nanoparticle attachment at an end of the tube and one with a location for particle attachment in the center of the tube. To verify successful attachment of gold nanoparticles, I confirmed with SEM imaging the presence of origami-nanoparticle hybrids. This design provides several possibilities for attachment of nanomaterials, both inside the hollow center and to the outside of the tube, which provide a pathway to creating a vertical nanowire logic gate. A flat base-like DNA origami could then position an array of tube DNA origami structures for more complex applications. An array of this type could be a step towards making more compact electronics.

3D DNA origami templated nanoscale device fabrication

251st National Meeting (2016)

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