自组装是创造新物质和构筑新的功能体的重要手段之一。在自组装的基元中，超微细的组装基元体现出了优异的自组装能力和不同于传统纳米材料的新的物理化学性质，为人们提出了新的机遇和挑战。如何将超细亚纳米基元材料的自组装特性，与DNA的自组装优势有机地结合起来，并构筑出具有独特功能的有机无机复合材料或纳米器件，必将是一件极富挑战性的有意义的工作。本项目拟开展亚纳米尺度羟基磷灰石与DNA的共组装研究工作，羟基磷灰石自身具有优异的生物兼容性与生物活性，将其尺寸限制在亚纳米尺度时，其直径将接近DNA等生物大分子的直径，氢键、范德华力等弱键相互作用将对其与DNA的共组装过程起到主导作用，从而有利于实现多重相互作用力诱导下的多级次组装体的构筑。在获得复合组装体的基础上，本项目也将开展其生物活性、生物医学应用等方面的研究工作，探索其在载药、人工骨构筑方面的可能应用。

Self assembly is an efficient way to construct new materials and new functionalities. Among the numerous building blocks, ultrathin units have shown unique self assembly behavior and new physical and chemical properties different from traditional materials, which provide new opportunities and challenges. How to combine the excellent assembly properties of ultrathin nanostructures with that of biomolecules like DNA remains as a new research topic and a great challenge, based on which new organic-inorganic composites and functional devices may be designed. This project aims at investigating the co-assembly of ultrathin HAp and DNA. HAp is the main component of bones and teeth and thus has outstanding biocompatibility. When the size of HAp is confined within sub-1nm region, their diameters are close to that of DNA so that interactions like hydrogen bonds and van del Walls interactions will play more important role in their co-assembly process. With sub-1 nm HAp and DNA as building blocks, novel assemblies with hierarchical structures would be constructed. Exploration on their bioactivities and possible applications in biochemical fields like drug delivery and artificial bones will be carried out.