<p>Self-assembly is a pervasive natural phenomenon that gives rise to complex structures and functions. It describes processes in which a disordered system of components form organized structures as a consequence of specific, local interactions among the components themselves, without any external direction. Biological self-assembled systems, evolved over billions of years, are more intricate, more energy efficient and more functional than anything researchers have currently achieved at the nanoscale. A challenge for human designed physical self-assembled systems is to catch up with mother nature. I argue through examples that DNA is an apt material to meet this challenge. This work presents:</p><p>1. 3D self-assembled DNA nanostructures.</p><p>2. Illustrations of the simplicity and power of toehold-mediated strand displacement interactions.</p><p>3. Algorithmic constructs in the tile assembly model.</p> / Dissertation
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DUKE/oai:dukespace.lib.duke.edu:10161/5771 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Gopalkrishnan, Nikhil |
| Contributors | Reif, John H |
| Source Sets | Duke University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
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