Re-entrant melting as a design principle for DNA-coated colloids
Re-entrant melting as a design principle for DNA-coated colloids
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DOI：
10.1038/nmat3314
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发表时间：
2012-06-01
期刊：
影响因子：
41.2
通讯作者：
Frenkel, Daan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Angioletti-Uberti, Stefano;Mognetti, Bortolo M.;Frenkel, Daan
用DNA功能化的胶体作为复杂自组装结构的构建块具有很大的希望。然而，DNA包被的胶体（DNACC）的实际使用受到狭窄的温度窗口的限制，在该温度窗口中，靶结构既在化学上稳定又在动力学上可接近（1-5）。在这里，我们提出了一种策略来设计DNACC，其中的胶体悬浮液冷却结晶，然后进一步冷却融化。在具有这种重入熔化的相图中，系统在非目标结构中的动力学捕获应被强烈抑制。我们提出的模型计算和模拟表明，真实的DNA序列的存在，应该赋予这种不寻常的相行为适当功能化的胶体悬浮液。我们提出了我们的结果为二进制系统，但我们开发的概念适用于多组分系统，因此应该打开的方式设计真正复杂的自组装胶体结构。
Colloids functionalized with DNA hold great promise as building blocks for complex self-assembling structures. However, the practical use of DNA-coated colloids (DNACCs) has been limited by the narrowness of the temperature window where the target structures are both thermodynamically stable and kinetically accessible(1-5). Here we propose a strategy to design DNACCs, whereby the colloidal suspensions crystallize on cooling and then melt on further cooling. In a phase diagram with such a re-entrant melting, kinetic trapping of the system in non-target structures should be strongly suppressed. We present model calculations and simulations that show that real DNA sequences exist that should bestow this unusual phase behaviour on suitably functionalized colloidal suspensions. We present our results for binary systems, but the concepts that we develop apply to multicomponent systems and should therefore open the way towards the design of truly complex self-assembling colloidal structures.