Programmable Architectures using Oligomer Assemblies

文明目前依赖于采用自上而下方法的机器，在硅计算机芯片上连续产生更小、更复杂的纳米粒子。当发展这项技术所需的复杂性变得过于具有挑战性时，就会有一个极限。另一种选择是自下而上的方法，这使得在分子水平上引入更多的复杂性，生物化学就是一个例子。与硅技术不同，分子纳米技术并不局限于一种材料，它可能会被用于更广泛的应用。到目前为止，在试图使合成化学系统具有与生物中发现的功能相似的功能方面，只采取了非常初步的步骤。大多数生物机器由信息编码的寡聚体(蛋白质、核酸或多糖)组成。已经进行了一些研究，以创建具有生物结构的不同结构，如DNA，但这个项目的目标是使用Hunter GROUP已经发明的结构的合成信息低聚物来创建非生物组装。在这个项目中，低聚物将在多肽合成器上使用固相合成来合成。要尝试的第一个组件将是编程长度的游标双工。一旦探索了此双工，将尝试其他可编程程序集。用于研究这些双链的性质的方法包括核磁共振、等温滴定量热法、LC MS以及传统的化学合成。

Civilisation currently relies on machines which adopt a top-down approach to generate successively smaller and more complex nanopatterns on silicon computer chips. There will come a limit when the intricacy required to progress this technology becomes too challenging. The alternative is the bottom-up approach, which enables much more complexity to be introduced at the molecular scale, as exemplified by biochemistry. Unlike silicon technology, molecular nanotechnology is not restricted to one material and it could potentially be used for a much wider array of applications. So far, only the very first steps have been taken in trying to make synthetic chemical systems capable of similar functions to those found in biology.The majority of biological machinery is made up of information encoded oligomers (proteins, nucleic acids or polysaccharides). Some research into creating diverse architectures with biological architectures such DNA has been performed, but this project will aim to create abiotic assemblies using synthetic information oligomers of the structure already invented by the Hunter group.In this project the oligomers will be synthesised using solid-phase synthesis on a peptide synthesizer. The first assembly to be attempted will be a Vernier duplex of programmed length. Once this duplex has been explored other programmable assemblies will be attempted. Methods used to explore the properties of these duplexes will include NMR, isothermal titration calorimetry, LCMS as well as traditional chemical synthesis.