Emergence of Valency in Colloidal Crystals through Electron Equivalents

Scientific Achievement

A new route to symmetry breaking in lattices of programmable atom equivalents (PAEs) was uncovered using nanoconstructs with particle cores and highly oriented DNA shells.

This triple-double gyroid is a new colloidal crystal structure that has never been found in nature or synthesized before. The translucent red/green/blue balls show the positions of programmable atom equivalents (PAEs), while the dark grey balls and sticks show locations of electron equivalents (EEs). (Credit: Sangmin Lee)

Significance and Impact

This approach will allow researchers to access novel materials with unique catalytic and optical behavior.

Research Details

• Built a type of valency (directional bonding) into smaller PAEs, termed electron equivalents (EEs), by adjusting the density of DNA on their surfaces.

• EEs with different surface DNA densities (i.e., different valencies) were shown to distribute differently in lattices of larger PAEs, leading to unusual colloidal crystal structures, some of which have not been seen before in nature.

Emergence of Valency in Colloidal Crystals through Electron Equivalents

Wang, S.; Lee, S.; Du, J.S.; Partridge, B.E.; Cheng, H.F.; Zhou, W.; Dravid, V.P.; Lee, B.; Glotzer, S.C.; Mirkin, C.A. 
Nature Materials, 2022

Work Performed at Northwestern University., the University of Michigan, and Argonne National Laboratory.