DNA-mediated Surface Reactions

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Haitao Liu of the University of Pittsburgh is developing a new lithography method based on DNA nanotechnology. Lithography is used to make integrated circuits such the ones used in personal computers and cellphones. However, conventional lithography is approaching its resolution limit imposed by light diffraction. This project will develop a DNA-based lithography that is both high resolution and low cost by exploiting the programmability of DNA nanostructures. In addition, this grant will also initiate a summer research program that will train undergraduate students from non-Ph.D. granting institutions. This project will test the hypothesis that the local chemical environment (e.g., base sequence and chemical modification) within a DNA nanostructure can effectively modulate the rate of surface reactions to result in high-resolution pattern transfer. The proposed work aims to understand the chemical mechanism of this novel pattern transfer process and based on which to develop a general strategy to control surface reaction kinetics using DNA nanostructures. The effect of local chemical environment on the reaction kinetics will be studied by varying the base sequence and the chemical functionalization of a DNA nanostructure template. These experimental studies will be coupled with molecular dynamics simulations to provide a molecular scale understanding of the effect of DNA nanostructure on the adsorption of reactive precursors and their subsequent reactions on the surface. Using the chemistry developed here, one will be able to fabricate arbitrary-shaped patterns with unprecedented resolution, down to sub-10 nm. More significantly, because the mechanism of the pattern transfer is widely applicable to supramolecular templates, in general, this work could have broad impact on the field of bottom-up nanofabrication.