Plant virus directed fabrication of nanoscale materials and devices

James N Culver; Adam D Brown; Faheng Zang; Markus Gnerlich; Konstantinos Gerasopoulos; Reza Ghodssi

doi:10.1016/j.virol.2015.03.008

Plant virus directed fabrication of nanoscale materials and devices

Virology. 2015 May:479-480:200-12. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.03.008. Epub 2015 Mar 26.

Authors

James N Culver¹, Adam D Brown², Faheng Zang³, Markus Gnerlich⁴, Konstantinos Gerasopoulos⁵, Reza Ghodssi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. Electronic address: jculver@umd.edu.
² Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
³ Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
⁴ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
⁵ Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; MEMS Sensors and Actuators Laboratory, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
⁶ Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; MEMS Sensors and Actuators Laboratory, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.

PMID: 25816763
DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.03.008

Abstract

Bottom-up self-assembly methods in which individual molecular components self-organize to form functional nanoscale patterns are of long-standing interest in the field of materials sciences. Such self-assembly processes are the hallmark of biology where complex macromolecules with defined functions assemble from smaller molecular components. In particular, plant virus-derived nanoparticles (PVNs) have drawn considerable attention for their unique self-assembly architectures and functionalities that can be harnessed to produce new materials for industrial and biomedical applications. In particular, PVNs provide simple systems to model and assemble nanoscale particles of uniform size and shape that can be modified through molecularly defined chemical and genetic alterations. Furthermore, PVNs bring the added potential to "farm" such bio-nanomaterials on an industrial scale, providing a renewable and environmentally sustainable means for the production of nano-materials. This review outlines the fabrication and application of several PVNs for a range of uses that include energy storage, catalysis, and threat detection.

Keywords: Bio-materials; Nanotechnology; Virus assembly; Virus particles; Virus-like particles.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Biocompatible Materials / metabolism*
Biotechnology / methods*
Nanostructures*
Plant Viruses / genetics*
Plants / metabolism*
Plants / virology*

Substances

Biocompatible Materials