2D Deployable Nanostructures from DNA

Deployable structures preserve their overall shapes during expansion and contraction. Their structural transformation shows auxetic behaviors, and thus exhibits negative Poisson's ratio. Such topological behaviors originate from their unique geometries. For example, the Hoberman sphere, a popular children’s toy, is formed by rods with flexible scissor-like linkages. In this work, we demonstrate a deployable nanostructure via DNA self-assembly. We constructed a simplified 2D version of Hoberman sphere from DNA, and characterized its dynamic reconfigurations and negative Poisson's ratio. The topology includes six triangles of wireframe DNA origami in two layers, forming a trefoil knot. The DNA structure can switch between open and closed states by sliding the triangles against each other via introduction of DNA oligos. This work provides insights on the topological assembly and reconfiguration of nanoscale DNA architectures.