Polymer‐Mediated Synthesis of Ferritin‐Encapsulated Inorganic Nanoparticles

Abstract

Building only on the inside: Poly(methacrylic acid) mediated inhibition of bulk precipitation is used to direct the nucleation and growth of CaCO3, SrCO3, BaCO3, or calcium phosphate nanoparticles specifically within the empty cavity of the iron-storage protein, apoferritin, to produce new types of biomimetic nanostructures (see image). The approach is facile and should be readily applicable to other capsid-like biological templates, such as viroids, enzyme complexes, and chaperonins.