title: Reversible switching of the interparticle distance in DNA-templated gold nanoparticle dimers.
abstract: We produce gold nanoparticle dimers with a surface-to-surface distance that varies reversibly by a factor of 3 when hybridizing or removing a single target DNA strand. The dimers are built on one DNA template that features a stem-loop enabling the interparticle distance change. Using electrophoresis, we reach 90% sample purities and demonstrate that this chemical process is reversible in solution at room temperature for a low molar excess of the target DNA strand. The kinetics of the reaction is asymmetric due to steric hindrance in the stem-loop opening process. Furthermore, a statistical analysis of cryo-electron microscopy measurements allows us to provide the first quantitative analysis of distance changes in chemically switchable nanoparticle assemblies.
authors.affiliation: Institut Langevin, ESPCI ParisTech, CNRS UMR 7587, INSERM U979, 1, rue Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lermusiaux
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sereda
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Portier
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larquet
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bidault
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D019281:Dimerization; D004586:Electrophoresis; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006046:Gold; D004247:DNA