Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.47, No.7, 2237-2239, 2008
Photochemical mineralization of europium, titanium, and iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticies in the ferritin protein cage
The Fe storage protein ferritin was used as a size-constrained reaction vessel for the photoreduction and reoxidation of complexed Eu, Fe, and Ti precursors for the formation of oxyhydroxide nanoparticles. The resultant materials were characterized by dynamic light scattering, gel electrophoresis, UV-vis spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The photoreduction and reoxidation process is inspired by biological sequestration mechanisms observed in some marine siderophore systems.