Playing “Nano -Lego ”: VNPs as Building Blocks for the Construction of Multi -Dimensional Arrays - Viral Nanoparticles: Tools for Materials Science and Biomedicine - page 182

7.5.1 Immobilizaion of VNPs on Gold Surfaces

Cys-added mutants of CCMV, CPMV, and TMV have been utilized to specifically
immobilize these VNPs on gold surfaces (Klem

et al ., 2003; Royston et

al ., 2006). Recall the symmetry-broken Cys-

added CCMV particles described in Section 4.3.5. In order to gain control
over the assembly of the polyvalent icosahedron CCMV on gold surfaces,
particles with single Cys-reactivity were assembled using a solid-state
chemical approach (Klem

., 2008, 2009; Steinmetz et al

., 2003). Non-treated particles that display
180 reactive Cys side chains on the exterior solvent-exposed surface formed

et al

Figure 7.11 Vertically immobilized Cys-added mineralized TMV particles on gold.

(a, b) Computer-generated model diagramming the position of the Cys mutations
relative to the (a) outer rod surface and (b) the 3

end. Scanning electron microscopic
images showing (c) a nickel-coated gold surface with 1 mg/ml TMV, (d) a cobalt-
coated gold surface with 1 mg/ml TMV. (e) Tranmission electron microscopy showing
a 70-nm-thick cross-section of nickel-coated TMV attached perpendicular to a gold-
coated mica surface. Scale bar is equal to 300 nm. Reproduced with permission from
Royston, E., Ghosh, A., Kofinas, P., Harris, M. T., and Culver, J. N. (2008) Self-assembly
of virus-structured high surface area nanomaterials and their application as battery
electrodes,

′

Langmuir , 24 (3), 906-912.