Fabrication of Size-Tunable Metallic Nanoparticles Using Plasmid DNA as a Biomolecular Reactor.docVIP

Nanomaterials 2011, 1, 64-78; doi:10.3390/nano1010064 OPEN ACCESS nanomaterials ISSN 2079-4991 /journal/nanomaterials Article Fabrication of Size-Tunable Metallic Nanoparticles Using Plasmid DNA as a Biomolecular Reactor Jacopo Samson 1, Irene Piscopo 2, Alex Yampolski 1, Patrick Nahirney 3, Andrea Parpas 1, Amit Aggarwal 1, Raihan Saleh 1 and Charles Michael Drain 1,4,* 1 Department of Chemistry, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA; E-Mails: jsamson@ (J.S.); yampolsa@ (A.Y.); aparpas@ (A.P.); amitashin@yahoo.co.in (A.A.); raihan.saleh@ (R.S.) 2 EM Consulting, 57 Soundview Drive, Huntington, NY 11743, USA; E-Mail: irene.piscopo@ 3 Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada; E-Mail: nahirney@uvic.ca 4 The Rockefeller University, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: cdrain@; Tel.: +1-212-650-3791; Fax: +1-212-722-5332. Received: 28 July 2011; in revised form: 26 September 2011 / Accepted: 10 October 2011 / Published: 21 October 2011 Abstract: Plasmid DNA can be used as a template to yield gold, palladium, silver, and chromium nanoparticles of different sizes based on variations in incubation time at 70 °C with gold phosphine complexes, with the acetates of silver or palladium, or chromium acetylacetonate. The employment of mild synthetic conditions, minimal procedural steps, and aqueous solvents makes this method environmentally greener and ensures general feasibility. The use of plasmids exploits the capabilities of the biotechnology industry as a source of nanoreactor materials. Keywords: plasmid DNA; biomolecular reactor; gold; silver; palladium; chromium nanoparticles; green synthesis  Nanomaterials 2011, 1 65 1. Introduction Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and other metallic based nanoparticles (e.g., nickel, silver, palladium, chromium