Organizing Charge Flow with DNA

Abstract The seminal recognition by Ned Seeman that DNA could be programmed via base-pairing to form higher order structures is well known. What may have been partially forgotten one of Dr. Seeman’s strong motivations for forming precise and programmable nanostructures was create nanoelectronic devices. This motivation particularly apt given modern electronic devices require precision positioning conductive elements modulate control properties, such inherently limited the scaling photoresist technologies: literally few ways make smaller (Liddle Gallatin in Nanoscale 3:2679–2688 [1]). As with many other insights regarding at nanoscale, recognized possibilities DNA-templated as early 1987 (Robinson Protein Eng. 1:295–300 [2]). 2002, Braun’s group attempted develop methods lithography involved metalating (Keren et al. Science 297:72–75 [3]). However, this instance linear, double-stranded DNA, which portions were separated using RecA, thus, overall complexity limited. Since then, extraordinary afforded nanotechnology has provided equally interesting opportunities creating complex circuitry, either turning into an device itself (Gates Crit. Rev. Anal. Chem. 44:354–370 [4]), or having organize materials (Hu Niemeyer Adv. Mat. 31(26), [5]) can (Dai Nano Lett. 20:5604–5615 [6]).