Bionanofabrication of Nanostructures and Functional Materials

Owing to the increasing demand for miniaturized devices, and due to the limitations currently faced by conventional fabrication approaches, researchers aiming to construct nanometer-scale devices have begun to explore novel bottom-up approaches lying at the interface of the inorganic and biological worlds. This article offers an overview of recent developments in bionanofabrication, as a unique approach for the manufacturing of inorganic nanostructures and materials with potential applications ranging from nanoelectronics, sensor devices to nanomedicine. First, two main areas of investigation are presented: (i) bionanofabrication via structural specificity of biomacromolecules and (ii) bionanofabrication via biochemical processes/catalytic activity in microorganisms (bacterial-based bionanofabrication). This article will limit its discussion to bionanofabrication approaches that make use of DNA, proteins, and bacterial cells for the synthesis and organization of nanostructures and materials of (bio) technological relevance, such as metallic and semiconducting nanostructures (nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanotubes) and polymer-based nanostructured materials. Finally, the advantages, limitations, and future directions of the bionanofabrication approach will be discussed.