화학공학소재연구정보센터
Nature Nanotechnology, Vol.1, No.3, 190-U5, 2006
Programmable self-assembly of metal ions inside artificial DNA duplexes
The ultimate bottom-up approach for the construction of functional nanosystems requires the precise arrangement of atoms and molecules in three dimensions. DNA is currently one of the most prominent molecules able to self-assemble into complex networks(1,2) and is therefore regarded as the 'silicon of the nano-world'(3). Metals and metal ions, in contrast, are the atomic building-blocks needed in such materials to establish functions such as electrical conductivity or magnetism. Here we report a new concept, which efficiently combines metal ions and DNA. The DNA structure is used as a matrix to program robustly the complexation of different metal ions under precise control with regard to element, number and composition.