Colloidal crystal engineering with metal–organic framework nanoparticles and DNA

Abstract

Colloidal crystal engineering with nucleic acid-modified nanoparticles is a powerful way for preparing 3D superlattices, which may be useful in many areas, including catalysis, sensing, and photonics. To date, the building blocks studied have been primarily based upon metals, metal oxides, chalcogenide semiconductors, and proteins. Here, we show that metal–organic framework nanoparticles (MOF NPs) densely functionalized with oligonucleotides can be programmed to crystallize into a diverse set of superlattices with well-defined crystal symmetries and compositions. Electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering characterization confirm the formation of single-component MOF superlattices, binary MOF–Au single crystals, and two-dimensional MOF nanorod assemblies. Importantly, DNA-modified porphyrinic MOF nanorods (PCN-222) were assembled into 2D superlattices and found to be catalytically active for the photooxidation of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES, a chemical warfare simulant of mustard gas). Taken together, these new materials and methods provide access to colloidal crystals that incorporate particles with the well-established designer properties of MOFs and, therefore, increase the scope of possibilities for colloidal crystal engineering with DNA.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
May 19, 2020
Source ID
10.1038/s41467-020-16339-w

Entities

People

  • Cassandra T Buru
  • Chad Mirkin
  • Eric W. Roth
  • Haixin Lin
  • Omar Farha
  • Peng-Cheng Chen
  • Sarah S Park
  • Shunzhi Wang

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • Office of Naval Research
  • Sherman Fairchild Foundation
  • United States Department of Energy

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Chemistry

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Microelectronics