Assembly and functionalization of DNA-polymer microcapsules

Abstract

We report the synthesis and characterization of DNA-grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) micelles, their assembly into multilayered thin films, and the subsequent generation and polyethylene glycol) (PEG) functionalization of DNA-PNIPAM microcapsules. Multilayer films were assembled by sequentially depositing DNA-grafted PNIPAM micelles containing the cDNA sequences polyA30 or PolyT30 {i.e., PNIPAM-A30 or PNIPAM-T30). DNA-polymer microcapsules were obtained by the alternate deposition of PNIPAM-A30 and PNIPAM-T30 onto silica particles, followed by removal of the template core. Upon removal of the silica core particle, shrinkage of between 30 and 50% was observed for the microcapsules..