title: Design and optical trapping of a biocompatible propeller-like nanoscale hybrid.
abstract: Designing nanoscale objects with the potential to perform externally controlled motion in biological environments is one of the most sought-after objectives in nanotechnology. Different types of chemically and physically powered motors have been prepared at the macro- and microscale. However, the preparation of nanoscale objects with a complex morphology, and the potential for light-driven motion has remained elusive to date. Here, we go a step forward by designing a nanoscale hybrid with a propeller-resembling shape, which can be controlled by focused light under biological conditions. Our hybrid, hereafter "Au@DNA-origami", consists of a spherical gold nanoparticle with self-assembled, biocompatible, two-dimensional (2D) DNA sheets on its surface. As a first step toward the potential utilization of these nanoscale objects as light-driven assemblies in biological environments, we show that they can be optically trapped, and hence translated and deposited on-demand, and that under realistic trapping conditions the thermally induced dehybridization of the DNA sheets can be avoided.
authors.affiliation: Photonics and Optoelectronics Group, Physics Department and CeNS, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Amalienstrasse 54, 80799 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Jaekwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: Andrey A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Lutich
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liedl
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Fernández
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feldmann
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D004247:DNA