WETDNA · DNA Encoded Omniphobicity

Encoded surfaces have a rich set of applications that range from anti-counterfeiting to sensing. A desirable characteristic is the synergetic combination of molecular specificity with macroscopic changes that can be detected with simple infrastructure. Wetting is a macroscopic property, with transitions identifiable even with the naked eye. As the genetic information carrier, DNA is perfectly suited for molecular encoding. A grand challenge is generating macroscopically visible changes in wetting properties with sequence-specific interactions between DNA oligonucleotides. WETDNA will address this rewarding challenge by linking DNA encoding with localized wetting properties. WETDNA requires rational design of systems with components that span several orders of magnitude in length scales. To understand structural effects on the wetting-based encoding, microscopic liquid pinning sites are first fabricated by adaptation of lithographic processes with mechanochemical grafting, which is a concept recently developed in my laboratory (WP1). Printing of oligonucleotides and chemical coupling to liquid pinning sites will then mediate multiplex DNA encoding over wetting patterns (WP2). A key step in linking Watson-Crick base pairing and macroscopically visible localized wetting properties is generating omniphobicity over DNA-informed surfaces by grafting liquid-repellent polymers (WP3). In the presence of complementary DNA molecules, patterns will be unlocked to reveal wetting features that can be read-out at multiple levels (WP4). WETDNA is structured to exploit this unlocking mechanism for authentication of deterministically and stochastically defined wetting features (WP5). The understanding of the principles that govern DNA-driven wetting-based encoding is expected to generate knowledge at the intersection of physical, chemical, and biological sciences with major impact in adaptive and smart surfaces, anti-counterfeiting, sensing, environmental monitoring, and diagnostics.