Biomimetic synthesis and patterning of silver nanoparticles

Abstract

The creation of nanoscale materials for advanced structures has led to a growing interest in the area of biomineralization. Numerous microorganisms are capable of synthesizing inorganic-based structures. For example, diatoms use amorphous silica as a structural material, bacteria synthesize magnetite (Fe3O4) particles and form silver nanoparticles, and yeast cells synthesize cadmium sulphide nanoparticles. The process of biomineralization and assembly of nanostructured inorganic components into hierarchical structures has led to the development of a variety of approaches that mimic the recognition and nucleation capabilities found in biomolecules for inorganic material synthesis. In this report, we describe the in vitro biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using silver-binding peptides identified from a combinatorial phage display peptide library.

Self-assembled collagen-like peptide fibers as templates for metallic nanowires

“…Nature's ability to create sophisticated three-dimensional nanostructures has provided a rich source of inspiration for such bottom-up assembly strategies. 3 Key concepts that can be adopted from self-assembly found in nature include molecular recognition of the single building blocks and the formation of predictable nanostructures. 2,[4][5][6][7] Pioneered by Braun, Belcher, and their coworkers, there have been numerous examples of DNA or viruses as scaffolds for complex nanostructured inorganic materials.…”

Nanoscale device architectures derived from biological assemblies: The case of tobacco mosaic virus and (apo)ferritin

“…13) The biomineralization capabilities of many proteins and viruses have been exploited in recent years to generate inorganic materials inside (mold) and outside (cap) biomolecular cages. 14) The exterior biological surface is useful to precisely control the morphology of the target nanostructures, in this way, the nanostructures depend on the mold morphology on the nanoscale. 15,16) The thickness of the inorganic material is also tunable by synthetic methods.…”

Molecular Biomimetics: Genetic Synthesis, Assembly, and Formation of Materials Using Peptides

“…If these developments are accomplished, some of current limitations in molecular technology and nanotechnology could be overcome by bridging dissimilar materials components with high complexity and assembling molecular and inorganic nano-components in hybrid systems with specific size, shape, and spatial organization. [56][57][58][59][60] The biomimetic materials field is now mature enough to address fundamental issues at the confluence of materials and biology and to provide practical solutions in engineering and medical fields. This article highlights the selection of peptides that bind to solid substrates, the degree of binding, and the use of peptides as building blocks, and provides a guide for future directions.…”