Macroscopic photonic single crystals via seeded growth of DNA-coated colloids

Alexander Hensley, Thomas E. Videbæk, Hunter Seyforth, William M. Jacobs () and W. Benjamin Rogers ()
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Alexander Hensley: Brandeis University
Thomas E. Videbæk: Brandeis University
Hunter Seyforth: Brandeis University
William M. Jacobs: Princeton University
W. Benjamin Rogers: Brandeis University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Photonic crystals—a class of materials whose optical properties derive from their structure in addition to their composition—can be created by self-assembling particles whose sizes are comparable to the wavelengths of visible light. Proof-of-principle studies have shown that DNA can be used to guide the self-assembly of micrometer-sized colloidal particles into fully programmable crystal structures with photonic properties in the visible spectrum. However, the extremely temperature-sensitive kinetics of micrometer-sized DNA-functionalized particles has frustrated attempts to grow large, monodisperse crystals that are required for photonic metamaterial applications. Here we describe a robust two-step protocol for self-assembling single-domain crystals that contain millions of optical-scale DNA-functionalized particles: Monodisperse crystals are initially assembled in monodisperse droplets made by microfluidics, after which they are grown to macroscopic dimensions via seeded diffusion-limited growth. We demonstrate the generality of our approach by assembling different macroscopic single-domain photonic crystals with metamaterial properties, like structural coloration, that depend on the underlying crystal structure. By circumventing the fundamental kinetic traps intrinsic to crystallization of optical-scale DNA-coated colloids, we eliminate a key barrier to engineering photonic devices from DNA-programmed materials.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39992-3

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