Modular reaction-diffusion program-directed material activation and assembly
Abstract
We propose a chemical programming language to form solids with designed shapes. The chemicals (DNA sequences) added to a seed (hydrogels) will determine what shapes form. The DNA will execute a morphological circuit, successively define new pattern regions using modular transforms. This scalable modular approach means circuits can be designed to produce virtually arbitrary gradient shapes. These complex gradients will extend over millimeters to template large objects and will activate particles using enzymes and nucleic acid catalysts, causing them to assemble to form solids. The gradients can also control which and how many particles are activated, thereby controlling the mechanical properties of the solid. This work will set the stage for an expansive chemically directed manufacturing program. Our approach could be adopted to form materials out of nanoparticles, polymers, hydrogels, proteins or living cells. And it could be extended to direct assembly from molecular precursors by using gradients to position initiators for atomic transfer radical polymerization or Cas enzymes that cleave nucleic acids to direct precursor release. Peptide assembly or biomineralization might also be explored. The project will be directed by PI Schulman and will build on group capabilities for rapid DNA circuit design, rapid hydrogel fabrication for seed assembly and time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of microscale and millimeter scale structures to monitor growth. We will demonstrate repeatable manufacturing of hydrogel seeds on a glass substrate. We will then demonstrate the formation of DNA gradients in different shapes using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy and show that gradients can template the assembly of polystyrene nanoparticles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 05, 2021
- Source ID
- HR00112110006
Entities
People
- Rebecca Schulman
Organizations
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Johns Hopkins University