Self-assembled DNA photonic wire

Abstract

DNA is a promising material for use in nanotechnology; the persistence length of double stranded DNA gives it a rigid structure in the several nanometer regime and its four letter alphabet enables addressability. We present the construction of a self-assembled DNA-based photonic wire capable of transporting excitation energy over a distance of more than 20 nm. Our results show that it is possible to create two component DNA-based photonic wires capable of long range energy transfer using a straightforward self-assembly approach.