Multidimensional Materials Assembled by DNA Based Information

该奖项由化学学部的大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目资助。纽约大学的纳德里安·c·西曼教授和詹姆斯·w·加那利教授被支持开发新的自组装方法来控制聚合物链在密闭空间中的方向。聚合材料将根据预先编程的支链dna支架中包含的信息进行定向组装。聚合物链以特定的方向和间距并入支架内，以产生特定的光学和电子特性。聚合物基有机材料具有广泛的实际应用，包括光学、电子和太阳能转换装置。它们的性质不仅取决于聚合物的化学结构，而且还取决于聚合物链的取向。研究生和本科生接受跨学科研究领域的培训。此外，技术和教育活动针对高中和大学理科学生，特别是来自代表性不足的少数民族的学生。该项目旨在通过将有机合成与预编程DNA自组装相结合，开发一种组织共轭低聚物和聚合物的一般策略。具体来说，本研究研究了两种半导体共轭分子-寡聚苯胺（PANI）和聚（对苯乙烯）(PPV) -在笼状DNA纳米级支架中的结合，并研究了它们的电光性质。实验的主要特点是通过逐步有机合成控制低聚物的长度，并将低聚物共价连接到DNA链上。总体策略不局限于PANI和PPV；它可以应用于其他具有不同电光性质的低聚物，以及荧光染料，纳米颗粒和功能肽。研究如何使用DNA支架来指导这些共轭分子的组装，有望提供有关其结构/功能关系的深刻基础信息，这可能最终导致新型功能材料。

This award is funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry. Professors Nadrian C. Seeman, and James W. Canary of New York University are supported to develop novel self-assembly approaches for controlling the orientation of polymer strands in confined spaces. The polymeric material will be directed to assemble based on information contained in pre-programmed branched-DNA scaffolds. The polymer strands are incorporated within the scaffolds with specified orientation and spacing to generate specific optical and electronic properties. Polymer-based organic materials have a wide range of practical applications, including in optical, electronic and solar energy conversion devices. Their properties depend not only on the chemical structure of the polymer, but also on the orientation of the polymer strands. Graduate and undergraduate students are trained in an interdisciplinary area of research. In addition, technical and educational activities are directed towards high school and college science students especially from underrepresented minorities. The project aims to develop a general strategy to organize conjugated oligomers and polymers by combining organic synthesis with pre-programmed DNA self-assembly. Specifically, this research investigates the incorporation of two types of semiconducting conjugated molecules -- oligopolyaniline (PANI) and poly- (p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) -- in cage-like DNA nanoscale scaffolds and studies their elecrto-optical properties. The key experimental features are to control the length of the oligomers through stepwise organic synthesis and to covalently attached the oligomers to DNA strands. The general strategy is not limited to PANI and PPV; it can be applied to other oligomers with different electro-optical properties, as well as to fluorescent dyes, nanoparticles, and functional peptides. Study of how DNA scaffolds can be used to direct the assembly of these conjugated molecules is expected to provide insightful fundamental information about their structure/function relationships, which could eventually lead to new types of functional materials.