Materials World Network: Self-Assembled DNA Nanotubes: Biomimetic Design, Controlled Surface Alignment and Templated Nanowire Formation

这个材料世界网络项目旨在开发各种新的策略来实现对自组装DNA纳米管的控制。采用仿生自组装的方法，将DNA作为可编程的构建块来设计和开发新型纳米结构材料。这一国际合作的目标是：1)模仿自然界强大的微管结构，设计具有更好机械性能的螺旋DNA纳米管；2)开发表面取向方法，将DNA纳米管组装成二维网络，从而将自下而上的自组装与自上而下的光刻方法连接在一起；3)基于DNA纳米管更强的机械性能及其表面取向，实现改进的DNA模板纳米线形成。该项目涉及美国亚利桑那州立大学(严博士)和德国德累斯顿理工大学(梅尔蒂格博士)的广泛合作。该项目的智力优势在于，DNA纳米管、模板化纳米线或纳米颗粒组装提供了前所未有的机会，在纳米尺度领域利用新颖的环形几何结构来探索电子/磁性/光学性质。这种受生物启发的自组装可能会被证明在制造特征尺寸更小的计算机芯片方面很有用。该项目产生了更广泛的影响：1)将研究成果纳入两所大学的材料研究课程开发。这类课程的例子包括德累斯顿的“分子生物工程”和亚利桑那州立大学的“纳米生物技术”；2)通过高中外展计划向高中生教授“仿生自组装”主题；3)向更广泛的少数族裔社区传播尖端材料研究知识，鼓励未被充分代表的学生从事科学事业。该奖项由国际科学和工程办公室共同资助。

This Materials World Network project aims to develop various novel strategies to achieve control over self-assembled DNA nanotubes. A bio-mimetic self-assembly approach is taken to use DNA as programmable construction building block to engineer and develop novel nanostructured materials. The goals of this international collaboration are aimed at: 1) Mimicking nature's strong microtubule structure to design spiral DNA nanotubes that will have improved mechanical properties; 2) Developing surface alignment methods to assemble DNA nanotubes into two-dimensional networks, thereby bridging the bottom-up self-assembly with top-down lithographic approaches together; 3) Achieving improved DNA templated nanowire formation based on stronger mechanic properties of the DNA nanotubes and their alignment on surface. This project involves extensive collaboration between Arizona State University (Dr. Yan) in US and Dresden University of Technology (Dr. Mertig) in Germany.The intellectual merit of the project lies in that DNA nanotube templated nanowire or nanoparticle assembly provides unprecedented opportunities to explore electronics/magnetics/optical properties with novel annular geometries in nanoscale domains. The bio-inspired self-assembly may prove useful in creating computer chips with smaller feature sizes. The project has broader impact by: 1) Integrating the research results into the material research curriculum developments at both universities. Examples of such courses include "Molecular Bioengineering" at Dresden and "Nanobiotechnology" at ASU; 2) Teaching "Bio-mimetic Self-assembly" topics to high school students through a high school outreach program; 3) Disseminating cutting-edge material research knowledge to a wider audience of minority communities and encourage underrepresented students to pursue careers in science.This award is co-funded with the Office of International Science and Engineering.