Chemical Nanoscience Laboratory, School of Chemistry, Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
Nanoscale. 2012 Sep 28;4(19):5936-45. doi: 10.1039/c2nr31559a. Epub 2012 Aug 20.
The synthesis of nanowires made of magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) phase iron oxide was achieved using DNA as a template to direct formation of the metal oxide and confine its growth in two dimensions. This simple solution-based approach involves initial association of Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) to the DNA "template" molecules, and subsequent co-precipitation of the Fe(3)O(4) material, upon increasing the solution pH, to give the final metal oxide nanowires. Analysis of the DNA-templated material, using a combination of FTIR, XRD, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy, confirmed the iron oxide formed to be the Fe(3)O(4) crystal phase. Investigation of the structural character of the nanowires, carried out by AFM, revealed the metal oxide to form regular coatings of nanometre-scale thickness around the DNA templates. Statistical analysis showed the size distribution of the nanowires to follow a trimodal model, with the modal diameter values identified as 5-6 nm, 14-15 nm, and 23-24 nm. Additional scanning probe microscopy techniques (SCM, MFM) were also used to verify that the nanowire structures are electrically conducting and exhibit magnetic behaviour. Such properties, coupled with the small dimensions of these materials, make them potentially good candidates for application in a host of future nanoscale device technologies.
采用 DNA 作为模板来指导金属氧化物的形成并将其限制在二维生长，成功地合成了由磁铁矿（Fe3O4）相氧化铁组成的纳米线。这种简单的基于溶液的方法涉及 Fe2+和 Fe3+与 DNA“模板”分子的初始缔合，以及随后在溶液 pH 值增加时，Fe3O4 材料的共沉淀，从而得到最终的金属氧化物纳米线。使用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、X 射线衍射（XRD）、X 射线光电子能谱（XPS）和拉曼光谱（Raman spectroscopy）对 DNA 模板材料进行的分析证实，形成的氧化铁为 Fe3O4 晶体相。通过原子力显微镜（AFM）对纳米线的结构特性进行的研究表明，金属氧化物在 DNA 模板周围形成了纳米级厚度的规则涂层。统计分析表明，纳米线的尺寸分布遵循三模态模型，模态直径值分别为 5-6nm、14-15nm 和 23-24nm。还使用了其他扫描探针显微镜技术（SCM、MFM）来验证纳米线结构具有导电性和磁行为。这些特性，再加上这些材料的小尺寸，使它们成为未来众多纳米级器件技术应用的潜在良好候选材料。
