DNA nanostructures
DNA is a wonderful material with which to build. It can act as a molecular
glue, as the fuel for molecular engines, and as a structural material in
self-assembling nanostructures. It is the ability of DNA to store
information that is the key to its use: the interactions that hold a
nanostructure together are encoded in the base sequences of the component
oligonucleotides. Sections that are designed to bind together are given
complementary sequences; other sections are given sequences that are as
different as possible to minimize unintended interactions. At its simplest,
building with DNA is like building a Lego model by designing the bricks such
that they can only fit together in one way - and then putting them in a bag
and shaking it. Current research projects include synthetic molecular
motors, artificial crystals that act as "scaffolds" in protein
crystallography experiments and nanostructures for drug delivery.
Further information can be found
here
Photonic crystals
Photonic crystals are microstructured dielectrics with a lattice constant
comparable to optical wavelengths. They allow a unique degree of control of
the electromagnetic spectrum, including the creation of a ‘photonic band
gap’ - a forbidden frequency range, analogous to the band gap of a
semiconductor, within which no propagating electromagnetic modes exist.
With Prof. R.G. Denning (Chemistry, Oxford) we are pioneering a novel
technique - holographic lithography - for the fabrication of
three-dimensional photonic crystals. 3D microstructure is generated
photochemically by using a four-beam laser interference pattern to expose a
thick layer of photoresist. Current research objectives include
microfabrication of waveguides and resonators that operate within the
photonic band gap: these structures have the potential to reduce the
characteristic size of integrated optical devices by two orders of
magnitude, to a scale comparable to that of integrated electronics. |
Key Publications
Rapid chiral assembly of rigid DNA building blocks for
molecular nanofabrication
R. P.
Goodman,
I. A. T.
Schaap
, C. F Tardin, C. M. Erben,
R.M. Berry,
C. F. Schmidt and A. J.
Turberfield
Science 310, 1661-1665 (2005)
DNA tetrahedra
DNA as an Engineering Material
A. J. Turberfield
Phys.World 16, No. 3, 43 (2003)
A popular review of DNA nanofabrication
DNA Fuel for Free-Running
Nanomachines
A. J. Turberfield, J. C. Mitchell,
B. Yurke, A. P. Mills, Jr., M. I. Blakey
and F. C. Simmel
Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 118102
(2003)
DNA hybridization as a chemical energy source
A DNA-fuelled molecular
machine made of DNA
B. Yurke, A.J. Turberfield, A.P.
Mills, Jr., F.C. Simmel and J.L. Neumann
Nature 406, 605 (2000)
A simple self-assembled molecular machine
Three-dimensional optical lithography for
photonic microstructures
J. Scrimgeour, D. N. Sharp, C. F.
Blanford, O. M. Roche, R. G. Denning and A. J. Turberfield
Adv. Mater. 18, 1557-1560
(2006).
Waveguide structures within 3D photonic crystals
Photonic crystals made by holographic lithography
A.J. Turberfield
MRS Bull. 26, 632 (2001)
A review of holographic lithography
Fabrication of photonic crystals for
the visible spectrum by holographic lithography
M. Campbell, D.N. Sharp, M.T. Harrison, R.G. Denning and A.J.
Turberfield
Nature 404, 53 (2000)
A new way to make three-dimensional photonic crystals
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