Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

DNA–nanoparticle crystals

Exploiting shape complementarity

Nature Materials volume 14, pages 752–754 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Improved control over the shape of nanoparticles and the interactions between them allows the rational construction of intricate microscale assemblies.

Two recent studies report the co-crystallization of binary mixtures of anisotropic gold nanoparticles into microscale 3D crystals1,2 (Fig. 1). In both works, shape complementarity and weak DNA-mediated interactions between the particles were key in making the crystallization process possible.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Binary crystals from anisotropic nanoparticles.
Figure 2: Free-energy landscapes and degree of order for aggregates of DNA-coated nanoparticles.

References

  1. O'Brien, M. N., Jones, M. R., Lee, B. & Mirkin, C. A. Nature Mater. 14, 833–839 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lu, F., Yager, K. G., Zhang, Y., Xin, H. & Gang, O. Nature Commun. 6, 6912 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Auyeung, E. et al. Nature 505, 73–77 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Jones, M. R., Seeman, N. C. & Mirkin, C. A. Science 347, 1260901 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Gerling, T., Wagenbauer, K. F., Neuner, A. M. & Dietz, H. Science 347, 1446–1452 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Zheng, J. et al. Nature 461, 74–77 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Douglas, S. M. et al. Nature 459, 73–77 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Ke, Y. et al. Science 338, 1177–1183 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jean-Philippe Sobczak and Hendrik Dietz are in the Physik Department, Walter Schottky Institut, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4a, 85748 Garching near Munich, Germany,

    Jean-Philippe Sobczak & Hendrik Dietz

Authors
  1. Jean-Philippe Sobczak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hendrik Dietz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hendrik Dietz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sobczak, JP., Dietz, H. Exploiting shape complementarity. Nature Mater 14, 752–754 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4372

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4372

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing