Reversible Loading of Nanoscale Elements on a Multicomponent Supramolecular Polymer System by Using DNA Strand...

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Nucleic acids offer dynamic properties and orthogonal self-assembly for switchable materials.
• Supramolecular polymers require adaptable building blocks for tunable characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate DNA-grafted molecules into multicomponent supramolecular polymers.
• To demonstrate addressability and switchability of these materials using DNA-functionalized nanoparticles.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of DNA-grafted squaramide bola-amphiphiles.
• Formation of multicomponent supramolecular polymer systems.
• Addressing with DNA-labeled gold nanoparticles (5 and 15 nm) via sequence complementarity.
• Utilizing DNA-strand displacement for nanoparticle removal and rewriting.

Main Results:

• Successful incorporation of DNA-grafted molecules into supramolecular polymers.
• Demonstrated sequence-specific binding of DNA-labeled gold nanoparticles.
• Achieved on-demand erasure and rewriting of nanoparticles using strand displacement.

Conclusions:

• DNA-grafted molecules enable switchable characteristics in supramolecular polymers.
• This system allows for dynamic control over material properties through external addressing.
• The findings open avenues for responsive and reconfigurable biomaterials.