DMREF/Collaborative Research: Architecting DNA Nanodevices into Metamaterials, Transducing Materials, and Assembling Materials

由纳米级积木自组装的软结构材料可能在传感、软机器人、能源、信息存储和医学方面具有深远的应用。由生物构建块构建的材料具有吸引力，因为它们可以结合生物分子系统的优势，如对外部刺激的适应能力，与其他材料动态相互作用的能力，以及在化学或机械降解后自我修复的能力。DNA自组装因其能够制造出具有前所未有的几何复杂性、机械性能可调和动态重构的精确纳米结构，为制造此类纳米结构材料提供了一种很有前途的方法。这项旨在革新和设计我们的未来的设计材料奖(DMREF)支持专注于开发由DNA构建的自组装材料的基础研究，这些材料具有可适应的结构和独特的机械性能、信号处理能力，以及从单个可重新配置的积木形成各种材料的能力。这项研究与材料基因组倡议密切相关，该倡议寻求通过整合计算、实验和数据驱动的进展来加速材料发现和部署。此外，该奖项还将为研究生和本科生提供DNA纳米技术、生物化学、分子模拟、机器学习和多尺度建模方面的独特培训。将利用所有培训机会，使代表人数不足的群体的学生受益。此外，该项目的成果将通过研讨会传播，这些研讨会将吸引更广泛的研究团体参与。该研究项目将通过整合独特的机械、信号传递和形状变形特性来促进架构化DNA材料的功能特性。这些材料将由纳米级DNA构建块组成，具有精确设计的结构以及量身定做的机械和动态性能。这些单元将被组装成更大的材料，由许多相互作用的设备组成，以协调材料的结构和机械响应，并实现信号转换等功能。将使用分子模拟和机器学习方法为这些材料建立设计原则，以快速识别按需材料特性的纳米设备和组装设计。该团队拥有高度协作的方法，将DNA纳米材料、单分子测量、分子和介观建模以及机器学习方面的专业知识结合在一起。利用这些能力，该团队将专注于三个目标：设计、构建和实施(I)由顺应性DNA折纸纳米结构自组装的机械超材料，(Ii)基于动态DNA设备的信号传递材料，以及(Iii)由可重新配置的多臂DNA折纸纳米设备组装而成的多态网络。该项目由工程局(ENG)的土木、机械和制造业创新部(CMMI)和数学和物理科学局(MPS)的材料研究部(DMR)支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Soft architected materials self-assembled from nanoscale building blocks could have far-reaching applications in sensing, soft-robotics, energy, information storage, and medicine. Materials constructed from biological building blocks are attractive because they can integrate the advantages of biomolecular systems such as adaptability in response to external stimuli, capacity to dynamically interact with other materials, and ability to self-heal after chemical or mechanical degradation. DNA self-assembly provides a promising approach for creating such nano-architected materials due to its ability to produce precise nanostructures of unprecedented geometric complexity, tunable mechanical properties, and dynamic reconfiguration. This Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF) award supports fundamental research focused on developing self-assembled materials constructed from DNA with adaptable structures and unique mechanical properties, signal processing capabilities, and the ability to form a variety of materials from a single reconfigurable building block. The research is closely aligned with the Materials Genome Initiative, which seeks to accelerate materials discovery and deployment through integration of computational, experimental, and data-driven advances. In addition, the award will provide unique training for graduate and undergraduate students in DNA nanotechnology, biochemistry, molecular simulations, machine learning, and multi-scale modeling. All training opportunities will be leveraged to benefit students from underrepresented groups. Additionally, the results of the project will be disseminated through workshops that will engage broader research communities.This research project will advance the functional properties of architected DNA materials by integrating unique mechanical, signal-transducing, and shape-morphing properties. These materials will be constructed from nanoscale DNA building blocks with precisely designed structure and tailored mechanical and dynamic properties. These units will be assembled into larger materials consisting of many devices that interact with each other to coordinate the structure and mechanical response of the materials and achieve functions like transducing signals. Design principles will be established for these materials using molecular simulation and machine learning approaches to rapidly identify nanodevice and assembly designs for on-demand material properties. The team has a highly collaborative approach that combines expertise in DNA nanomaterials, single-molecule measurements, molecular and mesoscopic modeling, and machine learning. Using these capabilities, the team will focus on three goals: design, construct and implement (i) mechanical metamaterials self-assembled from compliant DNA origami nanostructures, (ii) signal transducing materials based on dynamic DNA devices, and (iii) polymorphic networks from assembly of reconfigurable multi-arm DNA origami nanodevices. This project is supported by the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) of the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Division of Materials Research (DMR) of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.