Inorganic-Organic Nanotube Composites from Template Mineralization of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Biological molecules offer new and exciting possibilities as templates for the synthesis of inorganic nanotubes. Tobacco mosaic virus consists of helically arranged protein subunits that produce a hollow protein tube, which, it is reported here, acts as a template for a range of nanotube fabrications. Iron oxide is one such example, a transmission electron micrograph of which, after aging for 6 months, is depicted in the...