Elasticity of Cross-Linked Titania Nanocrystal Assemblies Probed by AFM-Bulge Tests.

In order to enable advanced technological applications of nanocrystal composites, e.g., as functional coatings and layers in flexible optics and electronics, it is necessary to understand and control their mechanical properties.

Visualization of multimerization and self-assembly of DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles using in-liquid transmission electron microscopy.

Base-pairing stability in DNA-gold nanoparticle (DNA-AuNP) multimers along with their dynamics under different electron beam intensities was investigated with in-liquid transmission electron microscopy (in-liquid TEM). Multimer formation was triggered by hybridization of DNA oligonucleotides to another DNA strand (Hyb-DNA) related to the concept of DNA origami. We analyzed the degree of multimer formation for a number of samples and a series of control samples to determine the specificity of the multimerization during the TEM imaging.