Synthesis of nanorods and nanowires using biomolecules under conventional- and microwave-hydrothermal conditions

In this paper, we review our work on the synthesis and characterization of one-dimensional (1D) nanorods/nanowires and assemblies of inorganic materials with the assistance of several biomolecules under conventional- or microwave-hydrothermal conditions. Two classes of biomolecules have been investigated. One is sugars and their derivatives, and the other is amino acids and their polymers, peptide, and protein. With the assistance of sugars or their derivatives, different kinds of 1D elemental tellurium (Te) and selenium (Se) nanostructures with different sizes and morphologies have been obtained. With the assistance of amino acids or their polymers, 1D semiconductor sulfides and oxide nanowires and assemblies have been successfully synthesized. By providing confined spaces or serving as functional templates for site-specific nanomaterials nucleation or binding, biomolecules appear to direct the growth and/or the assembly of the nanomaterials.