Caltech Experts Design New Nanotube-DNA Structure

Scientists from a number of departments at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have recently announced the development of a new structure, which combines the “talent” that DNA has for self-assembly with the amazing chemical and physical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNT). The nanoscale electronic devices could be the key element in finally devising a method that would allow for carbon nanotubes to be arranged within a small-scale electronic circuit.

“This project is one of those great 'Where else but at Caltech?' stories,” Caltech associate professor of computer science, computation and neural systems, and bioengineering Erik Winfree says. He was one of the four project supervisors. The project began in 2005, after Caltech senior research associate in bioengineering, computer science, and computation and neural systems, Paul W. K. Rothemund, invented his groundbreaking, world-renowned DNA “origami” technique. This allowed for DNA to be packed and shaped in various forms, according to needs.

The idea of placing carbon nanotubes on DNA came from three students – graduate Hareem T. Maune, materials science theorist Si-ping Han, and undergraduate Robert D. Barish. “After hearing Paul's talk, Hareem got excited about the idea of putting nanotubes on origami. Meanwhile, Rob had been talking to his friend Si-Ping, and they independently had become excited about the same idea,” Winfree adds.

“Before talking with these students, I had zero interest in working with carbon nanotubes or applying our lab's DNA-engineering expertise toward such practical ends. But, seemingly out of nowhere, a team had self-assembled with a remarkable spectrum of skills and a lot of enthusiasm. Even Si-Ping, a consummate theorist, went into the lab to help make the idea become reality,” the expert explains.

“This collaborative research project is evidence of how we at Caltech select the top students in science and engineering and place them in an environment where their creativity and imagination can thrive,” says the Theodore von Karman Professor of Aeronautics and of mechanical engineering at Caltech, Ares Rosakis. He is also the chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science at the university. Funding for the new investigations came from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office of Naval Research, and the Center on Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics.