DNA-Mediated Synthesis and Morphological Control of Metal Nanoparticles

DNA-mediated synthesis harnesses the programmability, specific binding and structural versatility of nucleic acids to direct the formation, growth and assembly of metal nanoparticles. By anchoring single- or double-stranded DNA onto seed particles or templates, researchers achieve precise control over nucleation sites, growth kinetics and final morphology. Sequence design, secondary structure and chemical modifications of DNA strands serve as molecular regulators that influence facet-selective binding, competitive deposition of multiple metal species and resultant three-dimensional architectures. DNA origami scaffolds have further expanded the toolbox, providing rigid frameworks that define interparticle spacing and orientation for the construction of complex metastructures. This bio-templated approach has yielded asymmetric and hierarchical shapes—ranging from star- and flower-like gold nanocrystals to core–shell and bimetallic assemblies—and underpins advances in catalysis, plasmonics, biosensing and targeted therapeutics. Ongoing efforts focus on dynamic, stimuli-responsive systems in which DNA strand displacement, pH changes or light triggers induce shape transformation or controlled etching, thereby enabling adaptive nanomaterials with tunable optical and chemical properties.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated that a single-stranded DNA molecule can serve as a universal regulator of gold nanocrystal growth, guiding the formation of pushpin-, star- and biconcave disk-like morphologies in a sequence-independent manner. By varying the alignment and density of DNA anchors on seed particles, researchers achieved asymmetric three-dimensional topologies—including jellyfish- and flower-shaped nanocrystals—with high reproducibility in aqueous solution. Another line of investigation has extended DNA-directed morphogenesis to bimetallic systems, employing sequential DNA-mediated reduction of silver onto preformed gold templates to produce core–shell and alloyed nanoparticles with facet-specific deposition. These studies illustrate how programmable DNA interactions can modulate interfacial energy and drive the selective growth or dissolution of metal facets, offering a versatile platform for designing feature-rich nanomaterials with customised optical resonances and catalytic sites.

DNA-Mediated Synthesis and Morphological Control of Metal Nanoparticles publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in dna-mediated synthesis and morphological control of metal nanoparticles across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

DNA templating: Use of DNA strands as spatial and chemical guides for metal ion binding and nanoparticle growth.

Seed-mediated growth: A two-step synthesis in which preformed “seed” nanoparticles act as nucleation centres for further metal deposition.

DNA origami: Folding of a long single-strand DNA scaffold into a predefined shape using complementary staple strands, forming rigid nanostructures.

Etching: Controlled removal of metal atoms from nanoparticle surfaces, often via chemical or biomolecular agents.

Ripening: Process in which larger nanoparticles grow at the expense of smaller ones through dissolution and redeposition, leading to size focusing or reshaping.

References

1. Gold nanocrystals with DNA-directed morphologies. Nature Communications (2016).
2. Phosphorothioate DNA Mediated Sequence-Insensitive Etching and Ripening of Silver Nanoparticles. Frontiers in Chemistry (2019).
3. DNA-Templated Assembly of Au Nanoparticles via Step-by-Step Binding Reaction. e-Journal of Surface Science and Nanotechnology (2004).