Nanoscale Particle Arrays Induced by Highly Ordered Protein Assemblies

Abstract

Nanowires are created by nucleation of nanometer-scaled noble metal particles on microtubules formed from highly ordered protein assemblies. The periodic functional groups of amino acids serve as active sites for nucleation and binding of the metallic nanoparticles to form ordered patterns of particles, which, by further particle growth, generate quasi-continuous metal coatings (see Figure).