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We propose a new strategy to improve the self-assembly properties of DNA-functionalised colloids. The problem that we address is that DNA-functionalised colloids typically crystallize in a narrow temperature window, if at all. The underlying reason is the extreme sensitivity of DNA-mediated interactions to temperature or other physical control parameters. We propose to widen the window for colloidal crystallization by exploiting the competition between DNA linkages with different nucleotide sequences, which results in a temperature-dependent switching of the dominant bond type. Following such a strategy, we can decrease the temperature dependence of DNA-mediated self assembly to make systems that can crystallize in a wider temperature window than is possible with existing systems of DNA functionalised colloids. We report Monte Carlo simulations that show that the proposed strategy can indeed work in practice for real systems and specific, designable DNA sequences. Depending on the length ratio of the different DNA constructs, we find that the bond switching is either energetically driven (equal length or `symmetric DNA) or controlled by a combinatorial entropy gain (`asymmetric DNA), which results from the large number of possible binding partners for each DNA strand. We provide specific suggestions for the DNA sequences with which these effects can be achieved experimentally.
Most binary superlattices created using DNA functionalization or other approaches rely on particle size differences to achieve compositional order and structural diversity. Here we study two-dimensional (2D) assembly of DNA-functionalized micron-size
In recent years significant attention has been attracted to proposals which utilize DNA for nanotechnological applications. Potential applications of these ideas range from the programmable self-assembly of colloidal crystals, to biosensors and nanop
We present a general theory for predicting the interaction potentials between DNA-coated colloids, and more broadly, any particles that interact via valence-limited ligand-receptor binding. Our theory correctly incorporates the configurational and co
The effective force between two parallel DNA molecules is calculated as a function of their mutual separation for different valencies of counter- and salt ions and different salt concentrations. Computer simulations of the primitive model are used an
We employ parallel superposition rheology to study the dynamics of an aging colloidal glass in the presence of a mean field stress. Over a range of intermediate stresses, the loss modulus exceeds the storage modulus at short times but develops a maxi