Synthesis and assembly of conjugates bearing specific numbers of DNA strands per gold nanoparticle.

Here, we present a relatively simple, efficient, and high-yielding polymerase-based method for the synthesis of 15 nm gold nanoparticle conjugates bearing a specific number of 25 base oligonucleotide strands. We have shown that the conjugates bearing one or two oligonucleotide strands per particle, with the conjugates comprising a single complementary strand, self-assemble into nanoparticle dimers and trimers, respectively. Incubation of fully coated AuNPs, containing tens of oligonucleotide strands, with a conjugate bearing a single complementary strand leads to the formation of flower-shaped structures. The assembly of particles into nanoparticle structures shown here is a prerequisite for more complex controlled assembly of particles into three-dimensional macrostructures.