Self-assembly of coarse-grained DNA origami subunits*

DNA origami is an fruitful method to create a wide range of simple
and complex objects on the nanometer scale.
By folding DNA into truncated tetrahedra ("triangles") with
protrusions and recessions on their outer edges, one can add
attractive interaction between these triangles.
This way, the triangles can self-assemble into icosahedra much the way
virus coat proteins do, but on larger, more accessible length- and
timescales.
These icosahedra could in turn be an ideal candidate for producing
functional materials because of the unprecedented control over the
subunit structure and functionality.

To guide the design of these building blocks we perform molecular
dynamics simulations of coarse-grained, rigid triangles with reactive
patches.
By probing the self-assembly kinetics and assembly products as a
function of the reactive patch properties we attempt to determine the
optimal design strategy for the DNA origami building blocks in order
to build octahedra and icosahedra.
In particular, we will focus on the influence of the interaction
strength on the assembly yield.