Wave propagation characteristics of DNA-based periodic architected nanostructures

For nearly two decades, inspired by nature, researchers have used architecture in their mechanical structures to achieve excellent properties compared to monolithic materials including high stiffness at low densities, wave filtering, impact protection and etc. An important issue which now attracts the attention of many researchers is the application of biomaterials inside the cell as constructing blocks for biocompatible architected structures. As we know, DNA is among the stiffest biopolymers found in nature and is programmable, biocompatible, and non-toxic to cells. Hence, it can be used as building blocks of biomechanical architected structures especially when interacting with cells. In this paper, we study the wave attenuation properties of two-dimensional periodic structures based on DNA element to explore frequency bandgaps (frequency ranges in which no wave propagates through the structure) by implementing Floquet-Bloch theorem. From a number of suggested mechanical models for DNA, we have selected Explicit Helicoidal Model (EHM), which exhibits good consistency with the experimental results. Finally, the dispersion curves are presented and investigated for several periodic architected structures in order to find an optimal biofilter which can be used in future generations of DNA-based bio-nano-mechanical devices.