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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Stable DNA Motifs, 1D and 2D Nanostructures Constructed from Small Circular DNA Molecules
Published on: April 12, 2019
Two-dimensional nanoparticle arrays show the organizational power of robust DNA motifs
Jiwen Zheng1, Pamela E Constantinou, Christine Micheel
1Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York 10003, USA.
Abstract:
The bottom-up spatial organization of potential nanoelectronic components is a key intermediate step in the development of molecular electronics. We describe robust three-space-spanning DNA motifs that are used to organize nanoparticles in two dimensions. One strand of the motif ends in a gold nanoparticle; only one DNA strand is attached to the particle. By using two of the directions of the motif to produce a two-dimensional crystalline array, one direction is free to bind gold nanoparticles. Identical motifs, tailed in different sticky ends, enable the two-dimensional periodic ordering of 5 and 10 nm diameter gold nanoparticles.
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