Preserving topographic information stored on DNA origami nanostructures in harsh environments by ultrathin Al2O3 films
Abstract
Structure-based DNA data storage uses DNA origami nanostructures (DONs) to arrange chemical entities into bit arrays that can be read out by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Here, we investigate the potential of ultrathin Al 2 O 3 films to preserve topographic information stored on streptavidin (SAv)-decorated DONs in harsh environments. SAv-decorated DONs immobilized on Si wafers are coated with 4.7 nm thick Al 2 O 3 films by low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 58 °C. Although the film thickness is comparable to the diameter of the SAv molecules, AFM-based data readout is not compromised by the Al 2 O 3 film. Nevertheless, the film stabilizes the SAv-decorated DONs against harsh environmental conditions. Heating to 200 °C, O 2 plasma treatment, and chemical denaturant exposure results in severe damage of the uncoated samples, which may even lead to the complete disappearance of the DON shapes. In contrast, the coated samples retain recognizable DON shapes with isolated topographic SAv features after all treatments. Although the mean SAv occupancy decreases slightly after these treatments, it remains between 76% and 81%. These results demonstrate that ultrathin ALD-grown Al 2 O 3 films can preserve topographic information in structure-based data storage even under harsh conditions. Furthermore, the conditions tested here are much harsher than any environmental conditions that information-carrying DONs will likely experience during archival storage, rendering ALD coating a straightforward and low-cost approach for preserving topographic information during long-term storage.
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BibTeX
@misc{li2026preserving,
title = {{Preserving topographic information stored on DNA origami nanostructures in harsh environments by ultrathin Al2O3 films}},
author = {Xinyang Li and Marcel Hanke and Sandra Gołębiowska and Lukas Rabbe and Guido Grundmeier and Adrian Keller},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008700/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008700/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Preserving topographic information stored on DNA origami nanostructures in harsh environments by ultrathin Al2O3 films
AU - Xinyang Li
AU - Marcel Hanke
AU - Sandra Gołębiowska
AU - Lukas Rabbe
AU - Guido Grundmeier
AU - Adrian Keller
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008700/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008700/v1
AB - Structure-based DNA data storage uses DNA origami nanostructures (DONs) to arrange chemical entities into bit arrays that can be read out by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Here, we investigate the potential of ultrathin Al 2 O 3 films to preserve topographic information stored on streptavidin (SAv)-decorated DONs in harsh environments. SAv-decorated DONs immobilized on Si wafers are coated with 4.7 nm thick Al 2 O 3 films by low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 58 °C. Although the film thickness is comparable to the diameter of the SAv molecules, AFM-based data readout is not compromised by the Al 2 O 3 film. Nevertheless, the film stabilizes the SAv-decorated DONs against harsh environmental conditions. Heating to 200 °C, O 2 plasma treatment, and chemical denaturant exposure results in severe damage of the uncoated samples, which may even lead to the complete disappearance of the DON shapes. In contrast, the coated samples retain recognizable DON shapes with isolated topographic SAv features after all treatments. Although the mean SAv occupancy decreases slightly after these treatments, it remains between 76% and 81%. These results demonstrate that ultrathin ALD-grown Al 2 O 3 films can preserve topographic information in structure-based data storage even under harsh conditions. Furthermore, the conditions tested here are much harsher than any environmental conditions that information-carrying DONs will likely experience during archival storage, rendering ALD coating a straightforward and low-cost approach for preserving topographic information during long-term storage.
ER -