single-rb.php

JRM Vol.38 No.5 pp. 1229-1237
(2026)

Paper:

Salt-Dependent Crystallization of DNA-Functionalized Nanoparticle Superlattices in Microdroplets Toward Cellular Applications

Saki Kozawa* ORCID Icon, Hiroya Arai*, Xu Li** ORCID Icon, Naotomo Tottori*** ORCID Icon, Yoko Yamanishi*** ORCID Icon, and Miho Tagawa** ORCID Icon

*Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nagoya University
Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8603, Japan

**Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability, Nagoya University
Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8603, Japan

***Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University
744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan

Received:
March 20, 2026
Accepted:
August 8, 2026
Published:
October 20, 2026
Keywords:
nanoparticle, DNA assembly, droplet crystallization, salt concentration, small-angle X-ray scattering
Abstract

DNA-functionalized nanoparticle (DNA–NP) superlattices have attracted attention as programmable nanomaterials for sensing and bio-related applications, because DNA hybridization enables programmable interactions between nanoparticles and thus control of interparticle spacing. Such applications require controlling the size, shape, and crystallinity to maintain structural stability and achieve consistent physical properties. In this study, we investigated the crystallization behavior of DNA–NP assemblies formed in microdroplets under different NaCl concentrations. Crystallization occurred in water-in-oil droplets, which provided spatially confined reaction environments for DNA–NP assembly and enabled crystallization to proceed in numerous spatially isolated microreactors under well-defined conditions. Optical microscopy revealed that crystals were typically formed individually within droplets and exhibited narrow size distributions under each condition. Within the same NaCl concentration, the average crystal size generally varied with droplet diameter. Small-angle X-ray scattering analysis showed that increasing NaCl concentration resulted in broader diffraction peaks and fewer observable higher-order reflections, indicating a reduction in crystalline order. Scanning electron microscopy further revealed differences in crystal morphology. Well-defined faceted crystals were formed at lower NaCl concentrations, whereas rounded crystals were frequently formed at higher concentrations. Overall, salt concentration is an important factor governing the crystalline order and morphology of DNA–NP superlattices formed in microdroplets.

DNA-NP crystallization in microdroplets

DNA-NP crystallization in microdroplets

Cite this article as:
S. Kozawa, H. Arai, X. Li, N. Tottori, Y. Yamanishi, and M. Tagawa, “Salt-Dependent Crystallization of DNA-Functionalized Nanoparticle Superlattices in Microdroplets Toward Cellular Applications,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.38 No.5, pp. 1229-1237, 2026.
Data files:
References
  1. [1] A. Taleb, C. Petit, and M. P. Pileni, “Optical Properties of Self-Assembled 2D and 3D Superlattices of Silver Nanoparticles,” The J. of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.102, No.12, pp. 2214-2220, 1998. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp972807s
  2. [2] G. Rainò, M. A. Becker, M. I. Bodnarchuk, R. F. Mahrt, M. V. Kovalenko, and T. Stöferle, “Superfluorescence from lead halide perovskite quantum dot superlattices,” Nature, Vol.563, No.7733, pp. 671-675, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0683-0
  3. [3] N. S. Mueller, E. Pfitzner, Y. Okamura, G. Gordeev, P. Kusch, H. Lange, J. Heberle, F. Schulz, and S. Reich, “Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering and Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption by Plasmon Polaritons in Three-Dimensional Nanoparticle Supercrystals,” ACS Nano, Vol.15, No.3, pp. 5523-5533, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.1c00352
  4. [4] D. Nykypanchuk, M. M. Maye, D. Van der Lelie, and O. Gang, “DNA-guided crystallization of colloidal nanoparticles,” Nature, Vol.451, pp. 549-552, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06560
  5. [5] R. J. Macfarlane, B. Lee, M. R. Jones, N. Harris, G. C. Schatz, and C. A. Mirkin, “Nanoparticle Superlattice Engineering with DNA,” Science, Vol.334, No.6053, pp. 204-208, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1210493
  6. [6] V. Kumari, S. Vishwas, R. Kumar, V. Kakoty, R. Khursheed, M. R. Babu, V. Harish, N. Mittal, P. K. Singh, N. S. Alharthi, M. A. Hakami, F. F. Aba Alkhayl, G. Gupta, G. D. Rubis, K. R. Paudel, M. Singh, M. Zandi, B. G. Oliver, K. Dua et al., “An overview of biomedical applications for gold nanoparticles against lung cancer,” J. of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, Vol.86, Article No.104729, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2023.104729
  7. [7] N. Ramakrishnan, M. Lee, Y. Choi, S. Kim, J. Kim, and Y. Kwon, “Deciphering Gold Nanoparticle-Induced Cytotoxicity for Safer Nanomedicine Applications: Exploring the Impact of Conjugation Chemistry, Functional Groups, and Metal Core Properties,” ACS Applied Nano Materials, Vol.8, No.51, pp. 24301-24313, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.5c03906
  8. [8] B. Yan, Y.-y. Zhu, Y. Wei, and H. Pei, “Study on surface enhanced Raman scattering of Au and Au@AlO spherical dimers based on 3D finite element method,” Scientific Reports, Vol.11, No.1, Article No.8391, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87997-z
  9. [9] H. Liu, Z. Yang, L. Meng, Y. Sun, J. Wang, L. Yang, J. Liu, and Z. Tian, “Three-Dimensional and Time-Ordered Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Hotspot Matrix,” J. of the American Chemical Society, Vol.136, No.14, pp. 5332-5341, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja501951v
  10. [10] T. Ikeuchi, S. Kozawa, H. Niinomi, X. Li, S. Ogawa, M. Kuwahara, T. Oshikiri, K. Hiramatsu, and M. Tagawa, “DNA-Programmed Core–Shell Nanoparticle Superlattice Crystals with Nanogaps for SERS Sensing,” ACS Applied Optical Materials, Vol.4, No.7, pp. 2028-2039, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaom.6c00173
  11. [11] M. B. Ross, J. C. Ku, V. M. Vaccarezza, G. C. Schatz, and C. A. Mirkin, “Nanoscale form dictates mesoscale function in plasmonic DNA-nanoparticle superlattices,” Nature Nanotechnology, Vol.10, No.5, pp. 453-458, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2015.68
  12. [12] M. B. Ross, J. C. Ku, M. G. Blaber, C. A. Mirkin, and G. C. Schatz, “Defect tolerance and the effect of structural inhomogeneity in plasmonic DNA-nanoparticle superlattices,” Proc. of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol.112, No.33, pp. 10292-10297, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1513058112
  13. [13] S. Nangia and R. Sureshkumar, “Effects of Nanoparticle Charge and Shape Anisotropy on Translocation through Cell Membranes,” Langmuir, Vol.28, No.51, pp. 17666-17671, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1021/la303449d
  14. [14] X. W. Gu, X. Ye, D. M. Koshy, S. Vachhani, P. Hosemann, and A. P. Alivisatos, “Tolerance to structural disorder and tunable mechanical behavior in self-assembled superlattices of polymer-grafted nanocrystals,” Proc. of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol.114, No.11, pp. 2836-2841, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1618508114
  15. [15] C. Schildkraut and S. Lifson, “Dependence of the melting temperature of DNA on salt concentration,” Biopolymers, Vol.3, No.2, pp. 195-208, 1965. https://doi.org/10.1002/bip.360030207
  16. [16] X. Zhang, J.-S. Zhang, Y.-Z. Shi, X.-L. Zhu, and Z.-J. Tan, “Potential of mean force between like-charged nanoparticles: Many-body effect,” Scientific Reports, Vol.6, No.1, Article No.23434, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep23434
  17. [17] Q. Yu, J. Chen, D. Shi, and M. Chen, “Ordered self-assembly of DNA-modified nanoparticles in salt solutions,” Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, Vol.671, Article No.131669, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.131669
  18. [18] Y. Li, M. Girard, M. Shen, J. A. Millan, and M. O. de la Cruz, “Strong attractions and repulsions mediated by monovalent salts,” Proc. of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol.114, No.45, pp. 11838-11843, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1713168114
  19. [19] S. E. Seo, B. Lee, T. Oh, M. Girard, and C. A. Mirkin, “Salt-Induced Polymorphs Observed in Colloidal Single Crystals,” J. of the American Chemical Society, Vol.147, No.38, pp. 34831-34839, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c10844
  20. [20] S. E. Seo, M. Girard, M. O. de la Cruz, and C. A. Mirkin, “The Importance of Salt-Enhanced Electrostatic Repulsion in Colloidal Crystal Engineering with DNA,” ACS Central Science, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 186-191, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.8b00826
  21. [21] C. Brandel and J. H. ter Horst, “Measuring induction times and crystal nucleation rates,” Faraday Discussions, Vol.179, pp. 199-214, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4FD00230J
  22. [22] T. Karmakar, P. M. Piaggi, and M. Parrinello, “Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Crystal Nucleation from Solution at Constant Chemical Potential,” J. of Chemical Theory and Computation, Vol.15, No.12, pp. 6923-6930, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.9b00795
  23. [23] F. Bourgeois, S. Teychené, and B. Biscans, “Applicability of Probabilistic Nucleation Modelling for the Analysis of Microfluidics Data,” KONA Powder and Particle J., Vol.35, No.0, pp. 258-272, 2018. https://doi.org/10.14356/kona.2018017
  24. [24] A. Hensley, W. M. Jacobs, and W. B. Rogers, “Self-assembly of photonic crystals by controlling the nucleation and growth of DNA-coated colloids,” Proc. of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol.119, No.1, Article No.e2114050118, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2114050118
  25. [25] A. Hensley, T. E. Videbæk, H. Seyforth, W. M. Jacobs, and W. B. Rogers, “Macroscopic photonic single crystals via seeded growth of DNA-coated colloids,” Nature Communications, Vol.14, No.1, Article No.4237, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39992-3
  26. [26] M. Maeki, Y. Teshima, S. Yoshizuka, H. Yamaguchi, K. Yamashita, and M. Miyazaki, “Controlling Protein Crystal Nucleation by Droplet-Based Microfluidics,” Chemistry – A European J., Vol.20, No.4, pp. 1049-1056, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201303270
  27. [27] S. V. Koniakhin, I. E. Eliseev, I. N. Terterov, A. V. Shvidchenko, E. D. Eidelman, and M. V. Dubina, “Molecular dynamics-based refinement of nanodiamond size measurements obtained with dynamic light scattering,” Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, Vol.18, Nos.5-6, pp. 1189-1194, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-014-1512-x
  28. [28] S. Dhakal, K. L. Kohlstedt, G. C. Schatz, C. A. Mirkin, and M. O. de la Cruz, “Growth Dynamics for DNA-Guided Nanoparticle Crystallization,” ACS Nano, Vol.7, No.12, pp. 10948-10959, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1021/nn404476f
  29. [29] H. Sumi, N. Ohta, H. Sekiguchi, S. Harada, T. Ujihara, K. Tsukamoto, and M. Tagawa, “Two-Step Nanoparticle Crystallization via DNA-Guided Self-Assembly and the Nonequilibrium Dehydration Process,” Crystal Growth & Design, Vol.21, No.8, pp. 4506-4515, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.1c00398
  30. [30] H. Sumi, N. Ohta, H. Sekiguchi, S. Harada, T. Ujihara, K. Tsukamoto, and M. Tagawa, “Designing a High-Crystallinity Nano-Gapped Particle Superlattice via DNA-Guided Colloidal Crystallization and Dehydration,” Crystal Growth & Design, Vol.22, No.6, pp. 3708–3718, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c00075
  31. [31] N. Tottori, M. Tagawa, A. Takao, L. Zhang, M. Yokomori, S. Sakuma, and Y. Yamanishi, “Thermally Regulated Droplet Microfluidics Enables Uniform, Size Controllable DNA Nanoparticle Superlattices,” Small, Vol.22, No.54, Article No.e74787, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.74787
  32. [32] T. Oh, S. S. Park, and C. A. Mirkin, “Stabilization of Colloidal Crystals Engineered with DNA,” Advanced Materials, Vol.31, No.1, Article No.1805480, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201805480
  33. [33] R. Hosemann and A. M. Hindeleh, “Structure of crystalline and paracrystalline condensed matter,” J. of Macromolecular Science, Part B, Vol.34, No.4, pp. 327-356, 1995. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222349508219497
  34. [34] Y. Xia, X. Xia, and H.-C. Peng, “Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Colloidal Metal Nanocrystals: Thermodynamic versus Kinetic Products,” J. of the American Chemical Society, Vol.137, No.25, pp. 7947-7966, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5b04641
  35. [35] J. Kim, S. Kang, F. Cheng, Y. Wang, X. Ye, and J. Park, “Recent advances in liquid phase transmission electron microscopy of nanoparticle growth and self-assembly,” MRS Bulletin, Vol.49, No.4, pp. 365-376, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43577-024-00702-z
  36. [36] C. A. Orme, A. Noy, A. Wierzbicki, M. T. McBride, M. Grantham, H. H. Teng, P. M. Dove, and J. J. DeYoreo, “Formation of chiral morphologies through selective binding of amino acids to calcite surface steps,” Nature, Vol.411, No.6839, pp. 775-779, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1038/35081034
  37. [37] L. D. Marks and L. Peng, “Nanoparticle shape, thermodynamics and kinetics,” J. of Physics: Condensed Matter, Vol.28, No.5, Article No.053001, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/28/5/053001
  38. [38] I. Canton and G. Battaglia, “Endocytosis at the nanoscale,” Chemical Society Reviews, Vol.41, No.7, pp. 2718-2739, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2cs15309b
  39. [39] M. V. Baranov, M. Kumar, S. Sacanna, S. Thutupalli, and G. Van Den Bogaart, “Modulation of Immune Responses by Particle Size and Shape,” Frontiers in Immunology, Vol.11, Article No.607945, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.607945
  40. [40] Y.-C. Wu, T.-H. Wu, D. L. Clemens, B.-Y. Lee, X. Wen, M. A. Horwitz, M. A. Teitell, and P.-Y. Chiou, “Massively parallel delivery of large cargo into mammalian cells with light pulses,” Nature Methods, Vol.12, No.5, pp. 439-444, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.3357
  41. [41] E. Auyeung, R. J. Macfarlane, C. H. J. Choi, J. I. Cutler, and C. A. Mirkin, “Transitioning DNA-Engineered Nanoparticle Superlattices from Solution to the Solid State,” Advanced Materials, Vol.24, No.38, pp. 5181-5186, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201202069

*This site is desgined based on HTML5 and CSS3 for modern browsers, e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera.

Last updated on Oct. 19, 2026