Self-Assembly of DNA-coated colloids

DNA-coated particles have emerged as a powerful tool for programming the self-assembly of colloids and nanoparticles. The power of this approach lies in the highly specific molecular recognition properties of DNA and in the thermal reversibility of the interactions between DNA strands attached to different particles. These two properties taken together can, in principle, direct the bottom-up self-assembly of different materials into almost any desired structure. Here we discuss the self-assembly of single and multi-component crystals of DNA-coated colloids.