Home › Cell Biology › Assembly of Gold Nanorods into Chiral Plasmonic Metamolecules Using DNA Origami Templates
Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Assembly of Gold Nanorods into Chiral Plasmonic Metamolecules Using DNA Origami Templates

DOI: 10.3791/59280-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Design and assemble DNA origami templates for nanoparticle organization
  • ✓ Synthesize and functionalize gold nanorods with single-stranded DNA
  • ✓ Characterize chiral plasmonic metamolecules using transmission electron microscopy
Protocol

We describe the detailed protocol for the DNA origami-based assembly of gold nanorods into chiral plasmonic metamolecules with strong chiroptical responses. The protocol is not limited to chiral configurations and can be easily adapted for the fabrication of various plasmonic architectures.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~3–5 days (DNA origami design and synthesis: 1–2 days; nanorod synthesis and functionalization: 1–2 days; assembly and imaging: 1 day)

Steps

1
Design DNA origami and assemble templates

Design DNA origami structures computationally and assemble them in vitro using folding protocols. This step establishes the structural scaffolds for precise nanorod positioning.

▶ 00:33
2
Purify DNA origami templates

Purify assembled DNA origami using gel electrophoresis or size-exclusion chromatography to remove excess scaffold DNA and ensure template quality.

▶ 01:45
3
Synthesize gold nanorods

Synthesize monodisperse gold nanorods via seed-mediated growth methods, controlling size and aspect ratio for plasmonic tuning.

▶ 03:03
4
Functionalize gold nanorods with DNA

Conjugate single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides to gold nanorod surfaces using thiol linkers to enable sequence-specific binding to DNA origami.

▶ 04:52
5
Assemble nanorods on templates and image

Anneal DNA-functionalized gold nanorods to purified DNA origami templates, then prepare samples for transmission electron microscopy visualization.

▶ 06:09
6
Analyze TEM images of final metamolecules

Acquire and interpret transmission electron microscopy images to confirm chiral arrangement and structural fidelity of plasmonic metamolecules.

▶ 07:45
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