Optically resolving the dynamic walking of a plasmonic walker couple

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a system where two gold nanorod walkers move along a DNA origami track, with optical spectroscopy used to resolve their nanoscale steps, advancing active nanoplasmonic device development.

Contribution

It introduces a plasmonic walker couple system with optical resolution of nanoscale steps, integrating DNA nanotechnology with plasmonics for nanomachinery.

Findings

Optical spectroscopy resolves nanoscale walking steps.

Number of walkers correlates with optical response.

Demonstrates potential for advanced nanoplasmonic devices.

Abstract

Deterministic placement and dynamic manipulation of individual plasmonic nanoparticles with nanoscale precision feature an important step towards active nanoplasmonic devices with prescribed levels of performance and functionalities at optical frequencies. In this Letter, we demonstrate a plasmonic walker couple system, in which two gold nanorod walkers can independently or simultaneously perform stepwise walking powered by DNA hybridization along the same DNA origami track. We utilize optical spectroscopy to resolve such dynamic walking with nanoscale steps well below the optical diffraction limit. We also show that the number of walkers and the optical response of the system can be correlated. Our studies exemplify the power of plasmonics, when integrated with DNA nanotechnology for realization of advanced artificial nanomachinery with tailored optical functionalities.