Experimental test of nanoscale vs. microscale nucleation pathway differences

Establish whether nucleation pathways for DNA-programmed colloidal crystallization differ qualitatively between nanometer-scale particles and micrometer-scale particles due to differences in the range of DNA-mediated effective interactions, by conducting controlled experiments that directly test the theoretical predictions regarding pathway distinctness across these length scales.

Background

The review highlights quantitative measurements of nucleation kinetics for micrometer-scale DNA-coated colloids, showing agreement with classical nucleation theory and revealing extreme temperature sensitivity. DNA-mediated interactions have markedly different ranges at the nanoscale (comparable to particle size) versus the microscale (~1% of particle diameter), which theory suggests could alter nucleation mechanisms.

Despite these theoretical predictions, direct experimental validation comparing nucleation pathways across nanoscale and microscale systems has not yet been performed. The authors note that the methodologies developed for measuring nucleation rates in droplets are amenable to nanoparticle studies, motivating a systematic experimental test of the predicted qualitative differences in nucleation pathways.