Scattering vector, q (Å -1 ) with simple all DNA motifs. Relative peak heights in Fig. gradually change as arm length is increased, implying a change in the electron density distribution within the BCC unit cell. This is to be expected as an increase in l results in a greater fraction of the total material being located within the nanostar arms rather than elsewhere. The diffraction resolution of C-star frameworks reaches 4 nm, and is limited by the intrinsic flexibility of the nanostar motifs and the non-specificity of hydrophobic interactions that, along with the free swivelling motion of the cholesterol moieties, relax any constraints on the rotational orientation of individual C-stars. Despite limiting diffraction resolution, this inherent flexibility and rotational degeneracy is the primary cause underlying the insensitivity of C-star self-assembly to fine features, which ultimately enables the design versatility discussed in this paper. Samples with l = 51 bp display no crystallinity, forming instead an amorphous phase (Fig. ). We ascribe this behavior to the increased flexibility of the longer DNA arms, which may be too pliant to sustain a rigid network. log(scattering intensity) Self-assembly at low ionic strength.