The value of polymers is manifested in their vital use as building blocks in material and life sciences. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polynucleic acid, but its polymeric nature in materials and technological applications is often overlooked due to an impression that RNA is seemingly unstable. Recent findings that certain modifications can make RNA resistant to RNase degradation while retaining its authentic folding property and biological function, and the discovery of ultra-thermostable RNA motifs have adequately addressed the concerns of RNA unstability. RNA can serve as a unique polymeric material to build varieties of nanostructures including nanoparticles, polygons, arrays, bundles, membrane, and microsponges that have potential applications in biomedical and material sciences. Since 2005, more than a thousand publications on RNA nanostructures have been published in diverse fields, indicating a remarkable increase of interest in the emerging field of RNA nanotechnology. In this review, we aim to: delineate the physical and chemical properties of polymers that can be applied to RNA; introduce the unique properties of RNA as a polymer; review the current methods for the construction of RNA nanostructures; describe its applications in material, biomedical and computer sciences; and, discuss the challenges and future prospects in this field.

中文翻译：

---

RNA作为一种稳定的聚合物，可为材料和生物医学应用构建可控制的和定义的纳米结构

聚合物的价值体现在它们作为材料和生命科学的基础材料的重要用途中。核糖核酸（RNA）是一种多核酸，但是由于RNA似乎不稳定的印象，它在材料和技术应用中的聚合性质经常被忽略。最近的发现，即某些修饰可以使RNA抵抗RNase降解，同时保留其真正的折叠特性和生物学功能，而超耐热RNA基序的发现已充分解决了RNA不稳定的问题。RNA可以作为独特的聚合材料来构建各种纳米结构，包括纳米颗粒，多边形，阵列，束，膜和微海绵，它们在生物医学和材料科学中具有潜在的应用。自2005年以来，已经在各个领域发表了上千篇有关RNA纳米结构的出版物，这表明人们对新兴的RNA纳米技术领域的兴趣显着增加。在这篇综述中，我们旨在：描绘可应用于RNA的聚合物的物理和化学性质；介绍RNA作为聚合物的独特特性；回顾目前用于构建RNA纳米结构的方法；描述其在材料，生物医学和计算机科学中的应用；并讨论该领域的挑战和未来前景。回顾目前用于构建RNA纳米结构的方法；描述其在材料，生物医学和计算机科学中的应用；并讨论该领域的挑战和未来前景。回顾目前用于构建RNA纳米结构的方法；描述其在材料，生物医学和计算机科学中的应用；并讨论该领域的挑战和未来前景。