(426b) Programming DNA Self-Assembly for Molecular Robotics and Responsive Materials

Synthesizing biomaterials using nature’s building blocks enables engineers to construct highly programmable devices with unprecedented control over physical and chemical properties, providing a basis for next generation smart materials. We use structural DNA nanotechnology to design and build controllable nanoscale mechanisms and machines. Leveraging the unique structural properties of DNA, we created mechanical joints and multi-joint mechanisms with defined 2D and 3D motion. We then used these mechanisms to demonstrate methods for mechanical actuation, demonstrating conformational control of dynamic nanostructures using DNA triggers or responding to environmental conditions. I will discuss how our mechanisms can be used for ultra-sensitive detection of chemical, physical, and biological cues and how they can be assembled to into dynamic multi-scale materials.