Transformable nanophotonic surfaces: fusing synthetic biology with nano-engineering to create physically reconfigurable optical materials

纳米光子学是一个术语，用于描述光与具有纳米尺度尺寸的物体（通常是金属）的相互作用。利用这些相互作用，在这些亚微观水平上实现了前所未有的光学控制，为基于纳米光子结构的工程和组织所解锁的独特物理原理的大量新设备、材料和表面打开了大门。然而，由于我们正在达到传统制造技术所能达到的极限，如果我们要保持目前在这一领域的快速进展，并开发未来的智能光学表面和设备，就需要开发组装纳米光子粒子的新技术。该项目位于格拉斯哥大学工程学院，旨在为纳米光子学领域引入一种新的制造和操作工具集；一种基于合成生物学的工具集，它不仅具有利用生物相互作用组装纳米光子表面的能力，而且使这些表面保持生物活性，以便它们可以根据不同的分子线索重新配置其纳米级几何形状。这项技术将通过融合传统的“自上而下”光刻技术和基于DNA纳米模式与位点特异性重组酶相互作用的可重构“自下而上”自组装方法而成为可能。通过选择性地用DNA对纳米光子表面进行图案化，我们将能够通过上述酶的作用在该阵列中操纵单个金属纳米颗粒的放置；产生光子相互作用，改变该表面的光学特性和输出。添加特殊的合成生物学机械和工具将使我们能够移除、交换或重新安置这些纳米颗粒到表面上的其他特定工程点，从而引发新的光学响应。纳米光子表面与合成生物学的结合代表了一种新的平台技术，将为基于可重构纳米结构的材料研究和器件生成开辟新的途径。

Nanophotonics is a term used to describe the interaction of light with objects (usually metals) that have nanometer scale dimensions. Harnessing these interactions has enabled an unprecedented degree of optical control at these sub-microscopic levels, opening the door to a raft of new devices, materials and surfaces based on the unique physics unlocked by the engineering and organisation of nanophotonic structures. However, as we are reaching the limit of what traditional fabrication techniques can achieve, there is the need to develop new techniques for the assembly nanophotonic particles if we are to maintain our current rapid progress in this area and develop the smart optical surfaces and devices of the future. The aim of this project, based at The University of Glasgow's School of Engineering, is to introduce a new fabrication and manipulation tool-set to the field of nanophotonics; a tool-set based on synthetic-biology which has the capability to not only assemble nanophotonic surfaces using biological interactions, but to have those surfaces remain biologically active such that they can reconfigure their nanoscale geometries in response to different molecular cues. This technology will be made possible by fusing traditional 'top-down' lithography with a reconfigurable 'bottom-up' self-assembly method based on interaction of DNA nanopatterns with site-specific recombination enzymes. By selectively patterning a nanophotonic surface with DNA we will be able to manipulate the placement of individual metallic nanoparticles within that array through the action of said enzymes; creating photonic interactions that alter the optical properties and output of that surface. The addition of particular synthetic biology machinery and tools will allow us to remove, swap or relocate these nanoparticles to other specifically engineered points on the surface, eliciting a new optical response. Representing a new platform technology, the augmentation of nanophotonic surfaces with synthetic biology to will open up new avenues of materials research and device generation based on reconfigurable nano-architectures.