Article abstract
Nature Materials 1, 247 - 252 (2002)
Published online: 24 November 2002 | doi:10.1038/nmat775
Ordered nanoparticle arrays formed on engineered chaperonin protein templates
R. Andrew McMillan1, Chad D. Paavola1, Jeanie Howard2, Suzanne L. Chan2, Nestor J. Zaluzec3 & Jonathan D. Trent1
Abstract
Traditional methods for fabricating nanoscale arrays are usually based on lithographic techniques. Alternative new approaches rely on the use of nanoscale templates made of synthetic or biological materials. Some proteins, for example, have been used to form ordered two-dimensional arrays. Here, we fabricated nanoscale ordered arrays of metal and semiconductor quantum dots by binding preformed nanoparticles onto crystalline protein templates made from genetically engineered hollow double-ring structures called chaperonins. Using structural information as a guide, a thermostable recombinant chaperonin subunit was modified to assemble into chaperonins with either 3 nm or 9 nm apical pores surrounded by chemically reactive thiols. These engineered chaperonins were crystallized into two-dimensional templates up to 20 
m in diameter. The periodic solvent-exposed thiols within these crystalline templates were used to size-selectively bind and organize either gold (1.4, 5 or 10nm) or CdSe–ZnS semiconductor (4.5 nm) quantum dots into arrays. The order within the arrays was defined by the lattice of the underlying protein crystal. By combining the self-assembling properties of chaperonins with mutations guided by structural modelling, we demonstrate that quantum dots can be manipulated using modified chaperonins and organized into arrays for use in next-generation electronic and photonic devices.
- NASA Ames Research Center, Center for Nanotechnology and Astrobiology Technology Branch, Mail Stop 239-15, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA
- SETI Institute, 2035 Landings Drive, Mountain View, California 94043, USA
- Argonne National Laboratory, Materials Science Division, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
Correspondence to: R. Andrew McMillan1 e-mail: amcmillan@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Correspondence to: Jonathan D. Trent1 e-mail: jtrent@mail.arc.nasa.gov
|
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated RESEARCH |
