Dresden 2011 – scientific programme
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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik
MO 14: Transport and Spectroscopy in Molecular Nanostructures (related to SYMN, jointly with CPP)
MO 14.1: Talk
Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 14:00–14:15, ZEU 160
Site-specific assembly of DNA-based photonic wires using programmable polyamides — Wu Su1, •Markus Schuster2, Clive Bagshaw3, Ulrich Rant2, and Glenn A. Burley1 — 1Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK — 2Walter Schottky Institut, TU München, Garching, Germany — 3Department of Biochemistry, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
DNA constitutes a unique programmable scaffold for nanotechnological applications where the assembly of functional materials with nanoscale precision is an essential requirement. Of particular interest is the development of nanophotonic sensors and devices where DNA's addressable architecture enables the precise arrangement of fluorophores to produce an optical output. Various approaches for the construction of DNA photonic wires have been investigated; however current methods lack the ability to achieve well-defined and reproducible assemblies with high energy transport efficiency.
Here we show the construction of a site-specific, programmable DNA photonic wire model system by the utilization of fluorophore-tethered-pyrrole-imidazole polyamides (PAs) which inserts a fluorophore at a precise location within a DNA duplex. We demonstrate for the first time the construction of site-directed fluorophore assemblies along a pre-formed DNA duplex and reveal the importance of such control by the demonstration of efficient energy transport over distances in excess of 27 nm.