2317843

GCR: Rational Design of Topological Insulators Using Atomically-Precise DNA Self-Assembly

In many ways, the history of humanity is the history of materials; from the Bronze and Iron Ages to the modern Silicon Age, humans have taken advantage of the properties of the materials around them to foster the advancement of civilization. From this viewpoint, the pinnacle of improvement would be to design materials with desired properties a priori. The vision of this convergent project is to address this grand challenge.

This project aims to take advantage of the unique characteristics of DNA self-assembly, along with its chemical and structural properties, to create synthetic materials with precisely-controllable electronic and magnetic properties, with the ultimate goal of developing magnetic topological insulators (TIs). The introduction of robust magnetism into TIs will allow unique quantum phenomena to be realized in the solid state that could be exploited for applications including quantum computing, electronics, spintronics, optoelectronics, and renewable energy.

Accomplishing this vision will require a convergence between chemistry, biology, materials science, engineering, nanotechnology, computational modeling, and condensed matter physics. To achieve convergence, this project brings together a diverse team of experts spanning these disciplines that will work collaboratively to co-design and co-develop these systems.

Developing the ability to precisely control the electronic band structure and magnetic properties of materials will have broad impacts across society in the coming decades. In addition, this project includes a framework for nucleating a new scientific community focused on utilizing the unique spatial and topological properties of soft matter to create topological insulators with precisely tailored electronic and magnetic properties. This community will represent a convergence of thoughts, language, and ideals from a broad spectrum of the science and engineering community.

This project aims to develop a framework that enables precision topological control over the electronic and magnetic properties of materials. Achieving this vision requires a convergence between complementary disciplines to ultimately fuse the realms of soft matter, real-space topology with momentum-space (k-space) topology. Specifically, the aim is to utilize the unique programmability and unparalleled spatial, structural, and self-assembly capabilities afforded by DNA nanotechnology to precisely tailor the topology of metal ions to ultimately create magnetic topological insulators through iterative, rational design.

The introduction of magnetism into topological insulators is currently a major unresolved challenge in the condensed matter physics community, and real-space, DNA-based topological control provides a unique path toward solving this challenge. The development of atomically precise, metalated DNA motifs will allow control over electronic properties, and the design of purpose-specific, self-assembled band structure.

To achieve this goal, this project will focus on:
I) Advancing chemical design and synthesis of metalated base pairs at the atomic and molecular levels;
II) Developing approaches for the structural and topological design of DNA assemblies at the supramolecular scale;
III) Extracting and quantifying the electronic properties of small-scale DNA-based assemblies;
IV) Modeling the electronic structure and transport properties of hybrid bio/condensed matter at the molecular levels;
V) Developing a design language for understanding how to map the unique spatial topological control afforded by DNA nanotechnology into the desired momentum-space topological control of electrons in topological insulators.

Through these steps, this project will design and implement initial proof-of-principle TI designs and plant the seeds of a new community that will sustain this nascent field in the decades to come.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Subawards are planned for this award.

Arizona State University

THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, "GROWING CONVERGENCE RESEARCH", IS IDENTIFIED IN THE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.NSF.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_SUMM.JSP?ODS_KEY=NSF19551

47.083 - Integrative Activities

NSF Office of Integrative Activities (OIA) [NSF]

Tempe, Arizona 85281-3670 United States

Single Zip Code

GROWING CONVERGENCE RESEARCH (19-551)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 200% from $1,199,950 to $3,599,768.