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Deterministic Symmetry Breaking of Plasmonic Nanostructures Enabled by DNA-Programmable Assembly
Matthew R Jones1, Kevin L Kohlstedt1, Matthew N O'Brien1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, ‡International Institute for Nanotechnology, and §Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
Nano Letters
|August 19, 2017
Summary
DNA assembly enables the creation of low-symmetry plasmonic metamaterials, revealing novel optical properties. This technique overcomes limitations of traditional lithography for complex, broken-symmetry structures.
Area of Science:
- Nanophotonics and Plasmonics
- Materials Science
- Biomolecular Engineering
Background:
- Physical properties of matter are dictated by the symmetry of their building blocks.
- Plasmonic materials exhibit unique optical effects (e.g., negative refraction) requiring broken symmetries.
- Traditional lithography struggles with fabricating complex, low-symmetry plasmonic metamaterials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate DNA assembly for creating low-symmetry, one-dimensional plasmonic structures.
- To investigate optical properties arising from systematic symmetry breaking in these structures.
- To explore the potential of DNA as a programmable surface ligand for metamaterial fabrication.
Main Methods:
- Utilized DNA as a programmable surface ligand for self-assembly of plasmonic nanostructures.
- Fabricated one-dimensional plasmonic structures with systematically varied symmetries.
- Investigated optical properties through characterization of coupled modes.
Main Results:
- Successfully assembled low-symmetry plasmonic structures challenging for lithography.
- Demonstrated the emergence of π-type coupled modes from dipole and quadrupole nanoparticle sources.
- Observed unique optical properties linked to broken symmetries.
Conclusions:
- DNA assembly is a powerful technique for fabricating complex, low-symmetry plasmonic metamaterials.
- The study reveals fundamental insights into symmetry-dependent optical phenomena.
- These findings hold potential for developing advanced optical devices and technologies.