Home Business Nanotechnology DNA Templating Advances Precis...

DNA Templating Advances Precision in Optoelectronic Nanodevices

Nanotechnology

Business Honor
01 May, 2025

Researchers created a DNA-guided technique for assembling tunable nanoparticle–MoS₂ hybrids for advanced optoelectronics.

In a significant advance in nanoscale materials engineering, scientists at Queen Mary University of London have designed a DNA-templated strategy to fabricate mixed-dimensional nanohybrids with unprecedented spatial control and optoelectronic tunability. The research, published in Advanced Functional Materials, represents an important advance toward customizable and scalable nanotechnology solutions for next-generation photodetectors and sensors.

Conventional approaches to combining zero-dimensional (0D) nanoparticles with two-dimensional (2D) materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) have been hampered by poor control over interfaces and restricted electronic coupling. Existing methodologies tend to employ weak van der Waals bonds or harsh surface treatments that degrade device performance. The new approach employs DNA strands as programmable scaffolds to guide the precise placement of metal sulfide nanoparticles like PbS, CdS, and CuS onto MoS₂ surfaces.

By functionalizing single-stranded DNA onto MoS₂ and metal-loading complementary strands, researchers created a solution-processable, room-temperature assembly scheme. This provides nanometer-level tuning of the spacing and composition of nanoparticles. Spectroscopic and electronic characterization revealed tunable charge transfer and light absorption properties, such as the creation of trions—charged excitonic species that play crucial roles in optoelectronic properties.

Phototransistors produced using this method possessed detectivities of up to 3.3 × 10¹⁵ Jones and responsivities of 3.5 × 10⁴ A/W—figures comparable with high-end devices built using more advanced fabrication. Furthermore, the two-nanoparticle geometries enabled multispectral detection within both visible and near-infrared frequencies.

This DNA-directed assembly process combines the accuracy of biology with advanced materials science, and it enables scalable, tunable, and sustainable nanotechnology breakthroughs. As the demand for high-performance tunable optoelectronic devices grows, this biomolecular technology can be the basis of next-generation photonic, sensing, and energy-harvesting technologies.