Compositional and structural engineering of DNA multilayer films

Abstract

We report the layer-by-layer (LbL) preparation of multilayered thin films that consist solely of DNA. The properties of the films were varied by assembling the layers from different oligonucleotide building blocks, which are composed of repeating homopolymeric units of nucleotides [adenosine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymidine (T)] or "random" sequences. Films assembled from oligonucleotides with a single complementary unit did not show continual layer buildup. To form a repeating multilayer system, it was necessary for single-stranded DNA to be available for subsequent layers to hybridize. By using oligonucleotides with multiple nucleotide units, multilayer films were successfully..