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Supramolecular nanopatterns self-assembled by adenine-thymine quartets at the liquid/solid interface

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  • Department of Physics and Astronomy
  • Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center
By means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we have observed for the first time well-ordered supramolecular nanopatterns formed by mixing two complementary DNA bases: adenine (A) and thymine (T), respectively, at the liquid/solid interface. By mixing A and T at a specific mixing molar ratio, cyclic structures that were distinctly different from the structures observed by the individual base molecules separately were formed. From an interplay between the STM findings and self-consistent charge density-functional based tight-binding (SCC-DFTB) calculation method, we suggest formation of A-T-A-T quartets constructed on the basis of A-T base pairing. The formation of the A-T-A-T quartets opens new avenues to use DNA base pairing as a way to form nanoscale surface architecture and biocompatible patterned surfaces particularly via host-guest complexation that might be suitable for drug design, where the target can be trapped inside the cavities of the molecular containers.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume128
Issue40
Pages (from-to)13305-11
Number of pages6
ISSN0002-7863
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2006

    Research areas

  • 1-Octanol, Adenine, Graphite, Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling, Models, Molecular, Nanostructures, Thymine

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