Biotemplate Synthesis of 3-nm Nickel and Cobalt Nanowires

Large biomolecules are attractive templates for the synthesis of metal − and inorganic − compound nanostructures. The well-defined chemical and structural heterogeneity of the biotemplates can be exploited for the precise control of the size and shape of the formed nanostructures. Here, we demonstrate that the central channel of the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) can be used as a template to synthesize nickel and cobalt nanowires only a few atoms in diameter, with lengths up to the micrometer range.