Fabrication of Metal Nanostructures on DNA Templates

Abstract

Metal nanoarchitectures fabrication based on DNA assembly has attracted a good deal of attention. DNA nanotechnology enables precise organization of nanoscale objects with extraordinary structural programmability. The spatial addressability of DNA nanostructures and sequence-dependent recognition allow functional elements to be precisely positioned; thus, novel functional materials that are difficult to produce using conventional methods could be fabricated. This review focuses on the recent development of the fabrication strategies toward manipulating the shape and morphology of metal nanoparticles and nanoassemblies based on the rational design of DNA structures. DNA-mediated metallization, including DNA-templated conductive nanowire fabrication and sequence-selective metal deposition, etc., is briefly introduced. The modifications of metal nanoparticles (NPs) with DNA and subsequent construction of heterogeneous metal nanoarchitectures are highlighted. Importantly, DNA-assembled dynamic metal nanostructures that are responsive to different stimuli are also discussed as they allow the design of smart and dynamic materials. Meanwhile, the prospects and challenges of these shape-and morphology-controlled strategies are summarized.

Keywords: DNA nanotechnology; metal nanostructures; nanofabrication; self-assembly; surface plasmonics.