Methods for isolating RNA sequences capable of binding to or mediating the formation of inorganic materials.

The ability of oligonucleotides to mediate the formation of inorganic materials is now well established. RNA and DNA are proving to be capable of mediating the formation of inorganic nanoparticles with sequence-specific control over nanoparticle size, shape, and even atomic-level crystallinity. Here we describe methods for isolating specific RNA sequences from large random sequence libraries that either bind to precut inorganic crystal wafers with high affinity or influence inorganic crystal growth.