Large-Scale Fabrication of Copper-Ion-Coated Deoxyribonucleic Acid Hybrid Fibers by Ion Exchange and Self-Metallization

[Image: see text] It has been a challenge to achieve deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) metallization and mass production with a high quality. The main aim of this study was to develop a large-scale production method of metal-ion-coated DNA hybrid fibers, which can be useful for the development of physical devices and sensors. Cetyltrimethylammonium-chloride-modified DNA molecules (CDNA) coated with metal ions through self-metallization exhibit enhanced optical and magnetic properties and thermal stability. In this paper, we present a simple synthesis route for Cu(2+)-coated CDNA hybrid fibers through ion exchange followed by self-metallization and analyze their structural and chemical composition (by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS)) and optical (by ultraviolet (UV)–visible absorption, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS)), magnetic (by vibrating-sample magnetometry), and thermal (by a thermogravimetric analysis) characteristics. The XRD patterns, high-resolution FETEM images, and selected-area electron diffraction patterns confirmed the triclinic structure of Cu(2+) in CDNA. The EDS results revealed the formation of Cu(2+)-coated CDNA fibers with a homogeneous distribution of Cu(2+). The UV–vis, FTIR, and XPS spectra showed the electronic transition, interaction, and energy transfer between CDNA and Cu(2+), respectively. The Cu(2+)-coated CDNA fibers exhibited a ferromagnetic nature owing to the presence of Cu(2+). The magnetization of the Cu(2+)-coated CDNA fibers increased with the concentration of Cu(2+) and decreased with the increase in temperature. Endothermic (absorbed heat) and exothermic (released heat) peaks in the differential thermal analysis curve were observed owing to the interaction of Cu(2+) with the phosphate backbone.