DNA-templated Chiral Metamaterial Array as Information Bits

Satyabola, D.; Feng, S.; Chopade, P.; Prasad, A.; Wang, L.; Bamrah, N.; Chen, L.; Roy, S.; Sakai, A.; Wang, C.; Sulc, P.; Hariadi, R. F.; Yan, H.; Yang, S.

doi:10.64898/2026.01.25.701623

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.01.25.701623

DNA-templated Chiral Metamaterial Array as Information Bits

Satyabola, D.·Feng, S.·Chopade, P.·Prasad, A.·Wang, L.·Bamrah, N.·Chen, L.·Roy, S.·Sakai, A.·Wang, C.·Sulc, P.·Hariadi, R. F.·Yan, H.·Yang, S.

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Abstract

The growth of digital information demands physically secure information bits that combine intrinsic randomness with multi-layered optical readout. Digital metamaterials with physical unclonable function characteristics are promising, but nearly all examples operate at microwave or terahertz frequencies. Extending digital metamaterials to the visible range requires a physical property that allows binary (0/1) encoding via nanoscale geometry and is orthogonal to intensity-or color-based imaging. Chiral plasmonic metamaterials satisfy these criteria perfectly: their broken mirror symmetry yields chirality polarity in the visible spectrum whose sign and magnitude directly encode bit values ("0", spin-up; "1", spin-down), while remaining invisible under linear polarization. Here, we realize visible-range digital metamaterials by programming self-assembled DNA origami templates with asymmetrically placed gold nanorods to create discrete 3D chiral metamolecules. Using on-surface DNA origami assembly and the Silica Microsphere-Assisted Patterning by Liquid Elimination (SiMPLE) method, we fabricate large-scale bit arrays on optical active glass substrate in solution with [~]1.33 m lattice spacing, [~]86% site occupancy, and [~]12-month stability after silicification. These bottom-up fabricated digital metamaterial array exhibits two independent security layers: (1) a macroscopic spatial pattern only visible by dark-field microscopy, and (2) hidden binary information stored in the single-particle chiroptical response, read out by position-resolved circular dichroism spectroscopy. Quantitative analysis confirms reliable bit encoding and high optical randomness arising from slight structural variations. By leveraging the polarity of plasmonic chirality to translate molecular-scale handedness into robust visible-range digital signals, this work establishes a scalable nanophotonic platform for secure optical information storage, authentication, and encryption.

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Satyabola, D., Feng, S., Chopade, P., Prasad, A., Wang, L., Bamrah, N., Chen, L., Roy, S., Sakai, A., Wang, C., Sulc, P., Hariadi, R. F., Yan, H., Yang, S.. 2026-01-27. DNA-templated Chiral Metamaterial Array as Information Bits. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.25.701623

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