Multi-component nano-structures with tunable optical properties
Thursday, September 30, 2010 - 14:07
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory report the first successful assembly of 3-D multi-component nanoscale structures with tunable optical properties that incorporate light-absorbing and -emitting particles. This work, using synthetic DNA as a programmable component to link the nanoparticles, demonstrates the versatility of DNA-based nanotechnology for the fabrication of functional classes of materials, particularly optical ones, with possible applications in solar-energy conversion devices, sensors, and nanoscale circuits. The research was published online September 29, 2010, in the journal Nano Letters.