Increasing the stability of DNA nanostructure templates by atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 and its application in imprinting lithography.

Hyojeong Kim,Haitao Liu,Kristin Arbutina,Anqin Xu

doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.236

Abstract

We present a method to increase the stability of DNA nanostructure templates through conformal coating with a nanometer-thin protective inorganic oxide layer created using atomic layer deposition (ALD). DNA nanotubes and origami triangles were coated with ca. 2 nm to ca. 20 nm of Al2O3. Nanoscale features of the DNA nanostructures were preserved after the ALD coating and the patterns are resistive to UV/O3 oxidation. The ALD-coated DNA templates were used for a direct pattern transfer to poly(L-lactic acid) films.

Highlights

In 1982, Seeman et al first introduced the idea of utilizing DNA to build a mechanically robust nanostructure [1]
We have reported a method to increase the stability of DNA nanostructure master templates through the conformal growth of an inorganic oxide film by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and demonstrated its usefulness in soft lithography patterning of polymer films
DNA nanotubes and origami triangles with Al2O3 films of ca. 2 nm, ca. 5 nm or ca. 20 nm thickness have been tested as the master templates to imprint their nanoscale features to poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) films

Summary

Introduction

In 1982, Seeman et al first introduced the idea of utilizing DNA to build a mechanically robust nanostructure [1]. The field of structural DNA nanotechnology has evolved remarkably from immobile Holliday junctions to complex shapes fabricated from single-stranded tiles [2,3]. The self-assembly of DNA can be brought into almost any shape with nanometer-scale precision and accuracy. Examples of such structures are one-dimensional (1D) [4,5,6,7], two-dimensional (2D) [8,9,10,11] and three-dimensional (3D) [1215] nanostructures with diverse and complex features. Self-assembled DNA nanostructures are considered to be an ideal template for nanofabrication because it is easy to control their structural complexity and diversity at the nanoscale.

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion