In recent years, many virus-inorganic materials have been synthesized as a means to produce high quality nanomaterials. However, the underlying fundamental mechanisms involved in virus coating have not been sufficiently studied to allow for directed synthesis. In our work, the recently discovered, expedient biosynthesis of palladium nanorods known as the hydrothermal synthesis is studied using different virus-palladium systems.<br/>X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) was combined with TEM to confirm an autocatalytic reduction mechanism mediated by the TMV1Cys virus surface. This reduction proceeds via two first order regimes which result in two linear growth regimes as spherical palladium nanoparticles are formed. By combining this result with particle growth data, we determined that the first regime is characterized by growth of palladium nanoparticles on the virion while the second regime characterizes a second layer of larger particles which grew sporadically on the first palladium nanoparticle layer. Subsequent aggregation of free solution based spherical particles and metallized nanorods characterize a third and final regime. The use of XAS to simultaneously monitor the kinetics of biotemplated reactions along with growth of metal nanoparticles provides insight into the pertinent reduction and growth mechanisms so that nanorod properties can be controlled through their populating nanoparticles.<br/><br/>In follow up studies, comparative kinetic and adsorption characterization were performed in different virus-metal systems, under various experimental conditions using UV-Vis spectroscopy; In situ SAXS was applied in monitoring nanoparticle growth on the surface of the virus. As a result, pertinent synthetic levers for biomineralization have been identified leading to a more robust understanding of how adsorption and reduction contribute to nanoparticle formation. Such knowledge is critical for scale up and directed synthesis while applying the hydrothermal synthesis .<br/>

Mechanism and characterization of inorganic mineralization of palladium on virus templates

251st National Meeting (2016)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.