Self Assembly and Controlled Folding of Emulsion Polymers

传统上，从电子电路到汽车的装配线都遵循非常具体的说明书，然后是机器人或人。另一方面，在生物学中，生物体根据编码在其基因中的指令自发地自我组装-遵循物理定律。受生物学的启发，该项目用特定的DNA相互作用修饰微观油滴，引导它们自发组装成复杂的3D结构。这些结构的范围从不寻常的晶体到螺旋，由于它们与光的相互作用而具有令人兴奋的光学特性。这些液滴可以很容易地固化，因此它们提供了一条可编程的、无需动手的制造路线，具有所需材料的高产率。该项目旨在从根本上解释导致生命的组织原则，这个简单的模型系统将被用作Biobus的移动的实验室的教育工具，既作为实验演示，也作为思想实验。使乳液功能化，以便自组装任意设计的结构，其可以容易地固化。这种多功能系统使我们能够控制液滴之间相互作用的流动性，特异性，化合价和逻辑编程，这反过来又有助于组装复杂结构，包括乳液聚合物，环和折叠构型。在这个项目中，我们建议1）使用多种口味的DNA接枝到乳液上，以编程的微观尺度上的物质结构，2）研究折叠动力学的途径，寻找组织原则和3）使用组装的组件进一步组装成大规模的材料。这种“串珠”实验模型类似于分子尺度上的蛋白质折叠，但它提供了折叠时链动力学的可视化访问。该项目的一个主要目标是在实验室内外整合科学教育和研究。除了培训参与研究的高中生，本科生和研究生外，PI还参加了世界科学节，并且是一个名为Biobase的科学教育设施的创始成员，该设施为来自所有社会经济背景的学生提供研究级显微镜设施，用于标准一致的学校日实地考察和夏令营计划。

Non-technical AbstractTraditionally, assembly lines to build machines, from electronic circuits to motor vehicles, follow very specific instruction manuals, followed by robots or people. On the other hand, in biology, organisms self-assemble spontaneously according to the instructions encoded in their genes - following the laws of physics. Inspired by biology, this project embellishes microscopic oil droplets with specific DNA interactions that guide their spontaneous assembly into complex, 3D architectures. These structures range from unusual crystals to helices with exciting optical properties due to their interaction with light. These droplets can readily be solidified, therefore they offer a route to programmable, hands-off manufacturing, with high yield of the desired material. The project aims to explain on a fundamental level the principles of organization that led to life, and this simple model system will be used as an educational tool on the mobile labs of the Biobus, both as an experimental demonstration and as a thought experiment.Technical AbstractThe objective of this proposal is to use biological molecules, particularly lipids and DNA strands, to functionalize emulsions in order to self-assemble arbitrarily designed structures, which can readily be solidified. This versatile system allows us to control the fluidity, specificity, valency, and logical programming of interactions between droplets, which in turn facilitates the assembly of complex structures, including emulsion polymers, loops and folded configurations. In this project, we propose 1) to use multiple flavors of DNA grafted on emulsions to program the structure of matter on the micro-scale, 2) to study the folding dynamics of the pathways in search of organizing principles and 3) to use the assembled components for further assembly into large-scale materials. This 'beads-on-a-string' experimental model is analogous to protein folding on the molecular scale, but provides visual access to the chain dynamics as it folds. A major goal of this project is to integrate science education and research within the laboratory and beyond. Apart from training high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students that participate in the research, the PI participates in the World Science Festival and is a founding member of a science education facility called the Biobase, which provides school students from all socioeconomic backgrounds with a research grade microscopy facility for standards-aligned school day field trips and summer camp programs.