Micrometer-sized DNA-single-fluorophore-DNA supramolecule: synthesis and single-molecule characterization

Organic Semiconductor-DNA Hybrid Assemblies

Organic semiconductors are photonic and electronic materials with high luminescence, quantum efficiency, color tunability, and size-dependent optoelectronic properties. The self-assembly of organic molecules enables the establishment of a fabrication technique for organic micro- and nano-architectures with well-defined shapes, tunable sizes, and defect-free structures. DNAs, a class of biomacromolecules, have recently been used as an engineering material capable of intricate nanoscale structuring while simultaneously storing biological genetic information. Here, the up-to-date research on hybrid materials made from organic semiconductors and DNAs is presented. The trends in photonic and electronic phenomena discovered in DNA-functionalized and DNA-driven organic semiconductor hybrids, comprising small molecules and polymers, are observed. Various hybrid forms of solutions, arrayed chips, nanowires, and crystalline particles are discussed, focusing on the role of DNA in the hybrids. Furthermore, the recent technical advances achieved in the integration of DNAs in light-emitting devices, transistors, waveguides, sensors, and biological assays are presented. DNAs not only serve as a recognizing element in organic-semiconductor-based sensors, but also as an active charge-control material in high-performance optoelectronic devices.

From Single Molecules to Thin Film Electronics, Nanofibers, e-Textiles and Power Cables: Bridging Length Scales with Organic Semiconductors

Organic semiconductors are the centerpiece of several vibrant research fields from single-molecule to organic electronics, and they are finding increasing use in bioelectronics and even classical polymer technology. The versatile chemistry and broad range of electronic functionalities of conjugated materials enable the bridging of length scales 15 orders of magnitude apart, ranging from a single nanometer (10^-9 m) to the size of continents (10⁶ m). This work provides a taste of the diverse applications that can be realized with organic semiconductors. The reader will embark on a journey from single molecular junctions to thin film organic electronics, supramolecular assemblies, biomaterials such as amyloid fibrils and nanofibrillated cellulose, conducting fibers and yarns for e-textiles, and finally to power cables that shuffle power across thousands of kilometers.

Correlative Super-Resolution Fluorescence Imaging and Atomic Force Microscopy for the Characterization of Biological Samples

Recent advances in imaging tools have greatly improved our ability to analyze the structure and molecular components of a wide range of biological systems at the nanoscale. High resolution imaging can be performed with a handful of techniques, each of them revealing particular features of the sample. A more comprehensive picture of a biological system can be achieved by combining the information provided by complementary imaging methods. Specifically, the correlation between super-resolution fluorescence imaging and atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides high resolution topography as well as specific chemical information, the latter with a spatial resolution that approaches that of AFM. We present a detailed protocol and discuss the requirements and challenges in terms of sample preparation, instrumentation, and image alignment to combine these two powerful techniques. This hybrid nanoscale imaging tool has the potential to provide robust validation for super-resolution methods as well as new insight into biological samples.

DNA-melamine hybrid molecules: from self-assembly to nanostructures

Single-stranded DNA-melamine hybrid molecular building blocks were synthesized using a phosphoramidation cross-coupling reaction with a zero linker approach. The self-assembly of the DNA-organic hybrid molecules was achieved by DNA hybridization. Following self-assembly, two distinct types of nanostructures in the form of linear chains and network arrays were observed. The morphology of the self-assembled nanostructures was found to depend on the number of DNA strands that were attached to a single melamine molecule.

Surface-initiated, reversible polymerization from surface-tethered oligonucleotides by enzymatic processes

Back and forth: Enzymatic, reversible polymerization on gold surfaces was efficiently carried out from surface-tethered self-priming oligodeoxynucleotides in a sequence-specific fashion by using two kinds of enzymes. Taq DNA polymerase, acting as a catalyst, facilitated DNA polymerization, and DNA restriction enzymes cut DNA polymers from the surface.

Syntheses of organic molecule-DNA hybrid structures

Investigation of robust and efficient pathways to build DNA-organic molecule hybrid structures is fundamentally important to realize controlled placement of single molecules for potential applications, such as single-molecule electronic devices. Herein, we report a systematic investigation of synthetic processes for preparing organic molecule-DNA building blocks and their subsequent elongation to generate precise micrometer-sized structures. Specifically, optimal cross-coupling routes were identified to enable chemical linkages between three different organic molecules, namely, polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly(p-phenylene ethynylene) (PPE), and benzenetricarboxylate, with single-stranded (ss) DNA. The resulting DNA-organic molecule hybrid building blocks were purified and characterized by both denaturing gel electrophoresis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The building blocks were subsequently elongated through both the DNA hybridization and ligation processes to prepare micrometer-sized double-stranded (ds) DNA-organic molecule hybrid structures. The described synthetic procedures should facilitate future syntheses of various hybrid DNA-based organic molecular structures.

The shear flow processing of controlled DNA tethering and stretching for organic molecular electronics

DNA has been recently explored as a powerful tool for developing molecular scaffolds for making reproducible and reliable metal contacts to single organic semiconducting molecules. A critical step in the process of exploiting DNA-organic molecule-DNA (DOD) array structures is the controlled tethering and stretching of DNA molecules. Here we report the development of reproducible surface chemistry for tethering DNA molecules at tunable density and demonstrate shear flow processing as a rationally controlled approach for stretching/aligning DNA molecules of various lengths. Through enzymatic cleavage of λ-phage DNA to yield a series of DNA chains of various lengths from 17.3 μm down to 4.2 μm, we have investigated the flow/extension behavior of these tethered DNA molecules under different flow strengths in the flow-gradient plane. We compared Brownian dynamic simulations for the flow dynamics of tethered λ-DNA in shear, and found our flow-gradient plane experimental results matched well with our bead-spring simulations. The shear flow processing demonstrated in our studies represents a controllable approach for tethering and stretching DNA molecules of various lengths. Together with further metallization of DNA chains within DOD structures, this bottom-up approach can potentially enable efficient and reliable fabrication of large-scale nanoelectronic devices based on single organic molecules, therefore opening opportunities in both fundamental understanding of charge transport at the single molecular level and many exciting applications for ever-shrinking molecular circuits.