Gold nanoparticle-coated apoferritin conductive nanowires

Gold-metallic nanofibrils were prepared from three different iso-apoferritin (APO) proteins with different Light/Heavy (L/H) subunit ratios (from 0% up to 100% L-subunits). We show that APO protein fibrils have the ability to in situ nucleate and grow gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) simultaneously assembled on opposite strands of the fibrils, forming hybrid inorganic–organic metallic nanowires. The AuNPs are arranged following the pitch of the helical APO protein fiber. The mean size of the AuNPs was similar in the three different APO protein fibrils studied in this work. The AuNPs retained their optical properties in these hybrid systems. Conductivity measurements showed ohmic behavior like that of a continuous metallic structure.