Condensation and Demixing in Solutions of DNA Nanostars and Their Mixtures.
We present a numerical/theoretical approach to efficiently evaluate the phase diagram of self-assembling DNA nanostars. Combining input information based on a realistic coarse-grained DNA potential with the Wertheim association theory, we derive a parameter-free thermodynamic description of these systems. We apply this method to investigate the phase behavior of single components and mixtures of DNA nanostars with different numbers of sticky arms, elucidating the role of the system functionality and of salt concentration. Specifically, we evaluate the propensity to demix, the gas-liquid phase boundaries and the location of the critical points. The predicted critical parameters compare very well with existing experimental results for the available compositions. The approach developed here is very general, easily extensible to other all-DNA systems, and provides guidance for future experiments.
Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna , Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
Emanuele
0000-0002-5507-1282
E
Locatelli
Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza-Università di Roma , Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
Philip H
PH
Handle
Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna , Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
Christos N
CN
Likos
Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza-Università di Roma , Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.|Istituto Sistemi Complessi (CNR-ISC) , Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Roma, Italy.
Francesco
F
Sciortino
Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna , Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.|Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics , 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP, U.K.
Lorenzo
0000-0001-5017-2829
L
Rovigatti
D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D012996:Solutions; D013816:Thermodynamics
D012996:Solutions; D004247:DNA
DNA hydrogels; DNA nanostars; Wertheim theory; binary mixtures; coexistence