Patent ID: 8507204

Claim:
A method for forming a structure comprising hybridized nucleic acid monomers, the method comprising: providing a first hairpin monomer comprising: a first domain comprising a first sticky end, wherein the first sticky end is available to hybridize to an initiator that comprises a nucleic acid sequence complementary to the first domain; a single stranded loop; and a second domain, wherein a portion of the second domain is complementary to a portion of the first domain; providing a second hairpin monomer comprising: a first domain comprising a first sticky end, wherein the first sticky end comprises a nucleic acid sequence complementary to a portion of the second domain of the first monomer; a single stranded loop; and a second domain, wherein a portion of the second domain is hybridized to a portion of the first domain; and combining the first and second monomers with the initiator, wherein the initiator hybridizes to the first domain of the first monomer, and subsequently the first domain of the second monomer hybridizes to the second domain of the first monomer, thereby forming a structure comprising the first and second monomers.