NANO: Combinatorial Self-Assembly of Nanocircuits on Addressable DNA Nanoscaffolds

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This proposal aims to develop highly programmable and efficient .bottom-up. methods for constructing nanoelectronic circuits, using DNA nanoarchitectures as scaffolds and sequence specific molecular lithography as a tool to combinatorially organize metallic and semiconducting nanowires into rationally designed ensembles with potential applications of self-assembling functional nanoelectronic devices. Designer DNA nanoscaffolds are emerging as the material of choice for creating sophisticated nanopatterns with the potential capability to pattern nano-scale objects with addressability, but their successful integration with functional nanomaterials requires interdisciplinary studies. Intellectual merit of proposed research: The programmed and efficient self-assembly of rationally defined nanoelectronic circuit patterns is presently one of the outstanding challenges in nanotechnology. The main research objective of this collaborative project is to demonstrate that self-assembly of addressable molecular lithographic template can be achieved using DNA based self-assembly. A team has been assembled whose collective expertise can comprehensively address the most pressing issues in developing DNA nano-architectures as spatially addressable templates for metallic and semiconducting nanowire ensembles. Two main goals will be achieved through this proposed research: 1) Design and demonstrate self-assembly of DNA nanostructures to form patterned lattices containing sequence specific template for DNA based molecular lithography. 2) Bridge the gap between researches in DNA based molecular lithography and DNA self-assembly to develop combinatorial methods for highly programmable nanoelectronic circuit .bottom-up. assembly. Broader impact of proposed research: The broader impacts of this project include potentially significant influence on the production of future integrated circuits and microprocessors. Additional impact will occur in educating students about the various aspects of constructing nanoelectronic systems. Efforts will be continued in recruiting underrepresented students including minorities and women and train them in DNA based nanotechnology. Undergraduate and high school students will also be recruited to this project. Distribution of our results will occur through various scientific publications, interactions with industrial partners, and through Duke University.s Center for Nano-science and Materials. A cohesive set of courses that address the important aspects of nanoscale computer device research will be designed. This includes topics in DNA Nanotechnology, Nanoelectronic Devices and Architectures. As another important educational component, a .DNA-based nanotechnology web site. aimed at a general public audience will be designed. The PI and co-PI.s access to talented computer science students enable us to implement such a web site with a user-friendly interface. The impact of DNA nanotechnology can be brought to its full potential by integrating the proposed research with a complementary training and knowledge transfer program. A Web-based channel will help promote DNA nanotechnology in the public domain. This proposal falls into the following EMT theme: advance the fundamental capabilities of computer and information sciences and engineering by incorporating insights from nanoscale science and engineering.