Switching Bonds in a DNA Gel: An All-DNA Vitrimer

We design an all-DNA system that behaves like vitrimers, innovative plastics with self-healing andstress-releasing properties. The DNA sequences are engineered to self-assemble first into tetra- andbifunctional units which, upon further cooling, bind to each other forming a fully bonded network gel. Aninnovative design of the binding regions of the DNA sequences, exploiting a double toehold-mediatedstrand displacement, generates a network gel which is able to reshuffle its bonds, retaining at all times fullbonding. As in vitrimers, the rate of bond switching can be controlled via a thermally activated catalyst,which in the present design is very short DNA strands