Site-directed placement of three-dimensional DNA origami

Assembling hybrid substrates with nanometer-scale precision and molecular addressability enables advances in such distant fields as material research and biosensing. As such, the combination of lithographic methods with 2D DNA origami self-assembly [1–4] has led, among others, to the development of photonic crystal cavity arrays [2] and the exploration of sensing nanoarrays where molecular devices are patterned on the sub-micron scale [5–7]. Here we extend this concept to the third dimension through mounting 3D DNA origami onto nano-patterned substrates followed by silicification [8, 9] to provide mechanical and chemical stability. Our versatile and scalable method relying on self-assembly at ambient temperatures offers the potential to 3D-position any inorganic and organic components that are compatible with DNA architectures [10–13]. This way, complex and 3D-patterend surfaces designed on the molecular level while reaching macroscopic dimensions could supersede energy-intensive manufacturing steps in substrate processing.