DNA-Multichromophore Systems

Multichromophoric systems have been shown to exhibit highly efficient excitation energy transfer and electron transfer properties with applications in semiconductor and organic electronic materials research. Many research groups have explored the potential of the deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) as a template for arraying multichromophoric systems. Building multichromophore systems from DNA offers distinct advantages, as synthesis can be done via automated synthesizers, and self-assembly strategies are well-defined. In natural duplex DNA, adjacent base pairs are held at 3.4 apart in the common B-form. This is defined by the thickness of aromatic π-systems, and coincides with favorable distances at which excited-state interactions can occur. The phosphodiester backbone of DNA is negatively charged at every nucleotide unit in aqueous conditions. The resulting water solubility is extended to many modified oligonucleotides, conferring solubility to hydrophobic molecules conjugated to DNA.