DNA-Programmable Nanoparticle Crystallization

If a solution of DNA-coated nanoparticles is allowed to crystallize, the thermodynamic structure can be predicted by a set of structural design rules analogous to Pauling’s rules for ionic crystallization. The details of the crystallization process, however, have proved more difficult to characterize as they depend on a complex interplay of many factors. This chapter describes that this crystallization process is dictated by the individual DNA bonds and that the effect of changing structural or environmental conditions can be understood by considering the effect of these parameters on free oligonucleotides. DNA is a powerful ligand for programming the assembly of nanoparticles into superlattices with a vast number of crystallographic symmetries. The well-understood nature of DNA programmable assembly, through the established design rules for the rational construction of DNA nanoparticle superlattices, provides the perfect platform for exploring the degree to which non-DNA oligonucleotides can serve as programmable “bonds.”.