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Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Self-assembled three-dimensional chiral colloidal architecture
Matan Yah Ben Zion1, Xiaojin He2, Corinna C Maass2,3
1Department of Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA. matanbz@nyu.edu chaikin@nyu.edu.
Abstract:
Although stereochemistry has been a central focus of the molecular sciences since Pasteur, its province has previously been restricted to the nanometric scale. We have programmed the self-assembly of micron-sized colloidal clusters with structural information stemming from a nanometric arrangement. This was done by combining DNA nanotechnology with colloidal science. Using the functional flexibility of DNA origami in conjunction with the structural rigidity of colloidal particles, we demonstrate the parallel self-assembly of three-dimensional microconstructs, evincing highly specific geometry that includes control over position, dihedral angles, and cluster chirality.
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