Reference #: 00592
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for this technology.
Invention Description:
The technology is a method to synthesize one-dimensional nanostructures or “nano-wires” based on the self-assembly of the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).
Potential Applications:
Primary potential applications include: the generation of highly ordered and programmable anisotropic structures and the assembly of TMV into various customizable nanostructures. The resulting nanostructures have many areas of use including electronics, optics, sensing and biomedical engineering. Lab results showed that a variety of functional polymers can be attached or in situ synthesized on the surface of the viral capsid, which will lead to many potential applications.
Advantages and Benefits:
The tube-like structure, stability, narrow size distribution, and electrostatic properties of the capsid surfaces of TMV make this technology a robust platform for the deposition of inorganic materials on either the interior or the exterior surface of the capsid. These properties can be manipulated genetically or chemically without interfering with the integrity of the capsids.