Self-assembled supramolecular strucutres formed by DNA and RNA building blocks studied by scanning probe microscopy at the liquid/solid interface and synchrotron radiation absorption spectroscopy

这项研究计划的目的是在丹麦奥胡斯大学的跨学科纳米科学中心(INANO)利用最先进的扫描探针显微镜(SPM)技术，包括扫描隧道显微镜(STM)和原子力显微镜(AFM)，研究DNA/RNA构件等生物分子在固体表面上的吸附自组装。更具体地说，核苷和核苷酸分子在液-固界面形成的超分子二维纳米结构将被STM和AFM研究。在奥胡斯储存环设施研究所(ISA)进行的同步辐射圆二色谱(CD)和紫外吸收光谱测量将补充这些SPM研究，揭示裸露和溶解的核苷酸和核苷酸的电子结构。这些研究将阐明溶剂对核苷和核苷酸分子结构的影响，更重要的是将确定适合形成分子间和分子内氢键的潜在结合部位。这个项目的愿景是获得对自组装过程的基本了解，这有助于开发最终适合于设计新的生物启发功能表面结构的新路线。

The aim of this research proposal is to study the self-assembly of biomolecules such as DNA/RNA building blocks upon their adsorption on solid surfaces by means of state-of-the-art scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques, including scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), University of Aarhus, Denmark. More specifically supramolecular two-dimensional nanostructures formed by nucleoside and nucleotide molecules will be investigated at the liquid-solid interface by STM and AFM. These SPM studies will be supplemented by synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (CD) and UV absorption spectroscopy measurements carried out at the Institute for Storage Ring Facilities in Aarhus (ISA) revealing the electronic structure of bare and dissolved nucleosides and nucleotides. These investigations will elucidate the influence of a solvent on the molecular structure of nucleosides and nucleotides, and will more importantly identify the potential binding sites suitable for the formation of inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The vision of this project is to gain basic fundamental insight into the self-assembly process, which helps to develop new routes that eventually are suitable to design new biologically inspired functional surface structures.