Assembly of Complex Colloidal Systems Using DNA

Abstract

Nearly thirty years after its inception, the field of DNA-programmed colloidal self-assembly has begun to realize its initial promise. In this review, we summarize recent developments in designing effective interactions and understanding the dynamic self-assembly pathways of DNA-coated nanoparticles and microparticles, as well as how these advances have propelled tremendous progress in crystal engineering. We also highlight exciting new directions showing that new classes of subunits combining nanoparticles with DNA origami can be used to engineer novel multicomponent assemblies, including structures with self-limiting, finite sizes. We conclude by providing an outlook on how recent theoretical advances focusing on the kinetics of self-assembly could usher in new materials-design opportunities, like the possibility of retrieving multiple distinct target structures from a single suspension or accessing new classes of materials that are stabilized by energy dissipation, mimicking self-assembly in living systems.

References in corpus (8)

• Rational design of self-assembly pathways for complex multicomponent structures
• Multifarious Assembly Mixtures: Systems Allowing Retrieval of Diverse Stored Structures
• The self-assembly and evolution of homomeric protein complexes
• Phase Behavior and Selectivity of DNA-linked Nanoparticle Assemblies
• Designing patchy interactions to self-assemble arbitrary structures
• Insights into DNA-mediated interparticle interactions from a coarse-grained model
• Design strategies for the self-assembly of polyhedral shells
• Exploiting classical nucleation theory for reverse self-assembly

Cited by in corpus (3)

• The polyhedral structure underlying programmable self-assembly
• The underappreciated role of nonspecific interactions in the crystallization of DNA-coated colloids
• Dynamical phase transition in the growth of programmable polymorphic materials