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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles
Published on: May 8, 2015
Joining and scission in the self-assembly of nanotubes from DNA tiles
Axel Ekani-Nkodo1, Ashish Kumar, Deborah Kuchnir Fygenson
1Physics Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
Abstract:
We present the first direct observations of tile-based DNA self-assembly in solution using fluorescent nanotubes composed of a single tile. The nanotubes reach tens of microns in length by end-to-end joining rather than by sequential addition of single tiles. Their exponential length distributions withstand dilution but decay via scission upon heating, with an energy barrier Esc approximately 180kBT. DNA nanotubes are thus uniquely accessible equilibrium polymers that enable new approaches to optimizing DNA-based programming and understanding the biologically programmed self-assembly of protein polymers.
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