DNA-Origami-Based Assembly of Anisotropic Plasmonic Gold Nanostructures

Abstract

Precise control over the assembly of anisotropic plasmonic gold nanostructures with relative spatial directionality and sequence asymmetry remains a major challenge and offers great fundamental insight and optical application possibilities. Here, a novel strategy is developed to anisotropically functionalize gold nanorods (AuNRs) by using a DNA-origami-based precise machine to transfer essential DNA sequence configurations to the surface of the AuNRs through an intentionally designed toehold-initiated displacement reaction. Different AuNR products are examined via hybridization with DNA-AuNPs that display distinct elements of regiospecificity. These assembled anisotropic plasmonic gold nanostructures based on the DNA-origami precise machine inherit the encoded information from the parent platform with high fidelity and show fixed orientation and bonding anisotropy, thereby generating discrete plasmonic nanostructures with enhanced Raman resonance.

Keywords: AuNRs; DNA origami; Raman resonance; anisotropic functionalization.