Engineering Inorganic Materials with DNA Nanostructures

Nucleic acid nanotechnology lays a foundation for the user-friendly design and synthesis of DNA frameworks of any desirable shape with extreme accuracy and addressability. Undoubtedly, such features make these structures ideal modules for positioning and organizing molecules and molecular components into complex assemblies. One of the emerging concepts in the field is to create inorganic and hybrid materials through programmable DNA templates. Here, we discuss the challenges and perspectives of such DNA nanostructure-driven materials science engineering and provide insights into the subject by introducing various DNA-based fabrication techniques including metallization, mineralization, lithography, casting, and hierarchical self-assembly of metal nanoparticles.

Automated summary

Nucleic acid nanotechnology enables user-friendly design and synthesis of DNA frameworks with extreme accuracy and addressability, making them ideal for positioning and organizing molecules into complex assemblies. One emerging concept in the field is the creation of inorganic and hybrid materials through programmable DNA templates, but this approach also presents challenges.