In our research we combine different methods from DNA nanotechnology, optical spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy in order to study physico-chemical processes up to the single-molecule level. A major focus is on the exploitation of DNA nanotechnology to assemble functional entities with nanometer precision. These functional entities can be fluorescent dyes or nanoparticles to generate and enhance optical signals, or receptors for specific molecules. In this way, optical spectroscopy can be performed with extremely well-defined systems. Within innoFSPEC we incorporate the functionalized DNA nanostructures into optical fibres to create novel concepts for chemical and biological sensing.
