Move over, quantum dots – quantum rods could be the next big display technology. These tiny sticks could improve 3D displays for VR headsets, and now engineers at MIT have overcome a logistical hurdle by arranging them onto a scaffold made of DNA.
Quantum dots are tiny semiconductor particles, which can be easily tuned to shine in different colors based on their size. You can already get TVs and monitors with quantum dots in them, where they’re claimed to boost color and picture quality.
But quantum rods are a different, lesser known beast. As the name suggests, they’re still very tiny but are more elongated than their dotty cousins, which allows them to control not just the color of the light they emit but the polarization too. This can make them useful for generating 3D images, allowing for more vibrant VR.
The problem with scaling them up has been that it’s tricky to get them all to align in the same direction. So for the new study, the MIT team investigated a new kind of support system. The key ingredient? DNA.
The researchers created origami structures out of DNA in a repeating diamond pattern, and stuck the quantum rods at the points so that they stayed at least 10 nanometers away from each other. This results in them all pointing in the same direction and prevents their light from interfering with their neighbor’s.
To stick the quantum rods to the DNA, the researchers developed a new manufacturing process where DNA is first emulsified into a mixture along with the rods. This is then quickly dehydrated so that the DNA molecules form a thick layer on the outside of the rods, which connects like Velcro to the desired points on the diamond scaffold.
Because this process only takes a few minutes, the researchers say that the technique could be more easily scaled up to commercial systems than other methods. The next steps involve creating wafers of quantum rods on DNA scaffolds, which could help unlock new applications beyond VR displays.
“The method that we describe in this paper is great because it provides good spatial and orientational control of how the quantum rods are positioned,” said Robert Macfarlane, an author of the study. “The next steps are going to be making arrays that are more hierarchical, with programmed structure at many different length scales. The ability to control the sizes, shapes, and placement of these quantum rod arrays is a gateway to all sorts of different electronics applications.”
The research was published in the journal Science Advances.
Source: MIT
