How crystal complexity governs nucleation, growth, and habit formation in multicomponent crystallization of DNA origami

The programmable assembly of colloidal crystals from DNA-origami subunits presents new opportunities to engineer materials with precise structural and functional properties. However, a detailed understanding of how the crystal complexity (i.e., the number of subunit species and specific interactions) governs the dynamic pathways to crystallization is largely missing. In this talk, I will present the results of a systematic investigation into how varying the number of subunit species and the number of specific interactions influences the dynamics of crystallization using a combination of droplet-based microfluidics and optical microscopy. In particular, through a series of controlled experiments, we demonstrate that crystal complexity significantly impacts the temperature-dependent nucleation rate, the kinetics of crystal growth, and the crystal habit. By comparing these results with the predictions of theory and simulation, we derive new insights into the mechanisms of crystal growth and nucleation, and develop new methods to precisely tune crystal morphologies. Furthermore, our work paves the way for designing advanced DNA origami-based materials with tailored functionalities, such as photonic band gaps, for nanotechnology and materials science applications.