Publications [#237008] of John H. Reif

Journal articles or Book chapters PUBLISHED

1. Liu, D; Park, SH; Reif, JH; LaBean, TH, DNA nanotubes self-assembled from triple-crossover tiles as templates for conductive nanowires., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 101 no. 3 (January, 2004), pp. 717-722, ISSN 0027-8424 [14709674], [doi]
   (last updated on 2026/01/14)

   Abstract:
   DNA-based nanotechnology is currently being developed as a general assembly method for nanopatterned materials that may find use in electronics, sensors, medicine, and many other fields. Here we present results on the construction and characterization of DNA nanotubes, a self-assembling superstructure composed of DNA tiles. Triple-crossover tiles modified with thiol-containing double-stranded DNA stems projected out of the tile plane were used as the basic building blocks. Triple-crossover nanotubes display a constant diameter of approximately 25 nm and have been observed with lengths up to 20 microm. We present high-resolution images of the constructs, experimental evidence of their tube-like nature as well as data on metallization of the nanotubes to form nanowires, and electrical conductivity measurements through the nanowires. DNA nanotubes represent a potential breakthrough in the self-assembly of nanometer-scale circuits for electronics layout because they can be targeted to connect at specific locations on larger-scale structures and can subsequently be metallized to form nanometer-scale wires. The dimensions of these nanotubes are also perfectly suited for applications involving interconnection of molecular-scale devices with macroscale components fabricated by conventional photolithographic methods.