Curvature effects in DNA:Au nanoparticle conjugates.

DNA-coated Au nanoparticles have myriad applications as versatile building blocks in nanomaterials assembly, powerful amplification tags for bioanalysis, and promising new approaches to medical therapeutics. Characterization, control, and a thorough understanding of the DNA surface interface are essential in the development of these conjugates. A new paper in this issue explores the impact of nanosphere diameter on DNA adsorption and demonstrates that particle curvature plays an important role in controlling the DNA surface density. The study proposes a model that can be used to predict DNA packing on nonspherical particles and validates it using Au nanorods. This work paves the way for improved understanding of the DNA:Au interface in these versatile bioconjugates.