Self-assembly of photonic crystals by controlling the nucleation and growth of DNA-coated colloids

Significance Assembling optical metamaterials from DNA-coated colloids has been a central goal of programmable self-assembly for decades. Despite significant advances in expanding the structural diversity of colloidal crystals, a lack of understanding of the crystallization pathways has hindered the realization of programmable metamaterials. In this paper, we combine experiments and theory to develop a complete understanding of the crystallization dynamics. We show that the nucleation and growth kinetics of DNA-coated colloids are fundamentally different from those of atoms or small molecules, owing to an effective friction that arises from transient DNA hybridization. By incorporating this effective friction into classical theories, we predict the absolute rates of nucleation and growth with quantitative accuracy, enabling the design of protocols for making photonic crystals.