DNA-programmed self-assembly of photonic nanoarchitectures

Abstract

Rational design and self-assembly of photonic nanoarchitectures with well-defined structures and geometries allows precisely manipulating light on the nanoscale, which has been the focus of nanophotonics in recent decades. DNA self-assembly is a powerful strategy in constructing desired photonic nanoarchitectures owing to the unique structural features of DNA, such as programmable sequence, predictable structure and precise molecule length (0.34 nm bp−1). The high addressability of DNA nanoscaffolds enables fine control over the locations of the photonic building blocks and thus the structure and geometry of the assembled photonic nanoarchitectures, which facilitates the quantitative study of the interactions among these photonic building blocks that are precisely organized on the DNA nanoscaffolds. This review summarizes the recent achievements in DNA-programmed self-assembly of photonic nanoarchitectures, where metallic nanocrystals and semiconductor quantum dots act as building blocks and are assembled into homo- and hetero-nanoarchitectures from one to two and three dimensions. In this review, we highlight the recent achievements in the DNA-programmed self-assembly of homo- and/or hetero-photonic nanoarchitectures comprising gold nanoparticles, gold nanorods and quantum dots in one, two and three dimensions, and overview their optical properties and potential photonic functionalities. The assembly of photonic nanodevices with the help of DNA molecules offers an unprecedented level of control over optical properties on the nanoscale. Xiang Lan and Qiangbin Wang from the Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics in China review progress made toward the creation of one-, two- and three-dimensional assemblies of metal nanoparticles or semiconductor quantum dots using DNA molecules. The size and shape - as well as the environment - of such nanoparticles significantly influence their optical properties. The precision that can be obtained in the construction of DNA assemblies, unmatched by conventional lithography techniques, is therefore crucial for the realization of more complex device architectures that can be used, for example, to guide light. Nevertheless, remaining challenges must be overcome to achieve controlled assembly of architectures containing mixed particles or more complex structures, which require an asymmetric surface patterning of the nanoparticles with DNA.