(735bs) Constructing Customized Pano-Structured Material Systems for Enhanced Sustainability and Health Monitoring

Synthetic oligonucleotides are crucial biomolecules that have profoundly impacted diverse fields such as material science, healthcare, and diagnostics. Their ability to form specific structures on demand and interact with a wide range of targets has opened new avenues for creating programmable and functional materials, enabling advancements in nanotechnology and healthcare. In this talk, I will discuss two specific examples utilizing synthetic oligonucleotides: (i) using DNA to engineer functional nanomaterials from anisotropic colloidal nanoparticles, and (ii) leveraging DNA aptamers and high-quality metasurfaces for multiplexed metabolite detection.

In the first example, I will explore the use of DNA and precision synthesis techniques to engineer programmable nanomaterials from anisotropic colloidal nanoparticles, such as polyhedral nanoparticles, nanoframes, and nanocages. Employing DNA as a molecular blueprint, I developed a universal synthetic strategy that generated a diverse library of designer nanostructures. This approach allowed us to precisely control the assembly of nanoparticles into colloidal crystals with tailored chemical, optical, and mechanical properties. Importantly, my work addressed significant synthetic gaps in porous crystal design over the 10-1000 nm length scale, enabling new opportunities for the loading and transport of large guests at this size regime. These advancements have broad implications, such as improving energy conversion systems, enhancing biodetection, and creating metamaterials with unique mechanical and optical properties, including negative refractive indices. Ultimately, these developments could contribute significantly to advancements in sustainability and healthcare.

In the second example, I will describe how different DNA sequences can be utilized to develop spherical nucleic acid (SNA)-based chemical probes for biomolecular detection and monitoring. These SNAs, which consist of densely packed nucleic acids arranged spherically around a nanoparticle core, are integrated with high-quality (high-Q) dielectric metasurfaces for the multiplexed detection of metabolite biomarkers related to chronic stress, such as adenosine, dopamine, oestradiol, and cortisol. Specifically, split DNA aptamers are attached to SNA nanoparticle cores and resonant silicon nanophotonic antennas to establish an ultrasensitive sandwich detection mechanism. The DNA aptamers on metasurfaces and SNAs interact with target analytes, forming a secondary DNA structure that localizes SNAs and analytes on dielectric metasurfaces. This creates significant optical scattering changes linked to biomarker concentrations and causes a visible color change indicating biomarker presence. This innovative approach allows for the detection of picomolar concentrations of multiple biomarkers simultaneously, providing crucial health metrics from biological samples like sweat. Moreover, our modular system can be adapted for detecting various other molecules, including proteins, microRNAs, and ions, showcasing its versatility and potential for broad applications in precision health monitoring.