Bacteriophage‐Templated Assembly of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Their Actuation Potential

Abstract : Magnetic chains are of fundamental and technological interest. However, 1D assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles are only metastable such that their controlled organization requires the use of templates. Bacteriophages are human-inoffensive viruses with a filamentous morphology that have been shown to exhibit great potential in materials research. Here, we thus utilized the M13 phage as a model for the formation of actuated magnetite nanoparticle superstructures. First, we built a sperm-like ensemble by covalently attaching magnetic nanoparticles to the head of the phage. Second, chain-like assemblies are obtained based on the electrostatic interactions between positively-charged magnetite nanoparticles attached to the negatively-charged phage surface. The nanoparticles-phages assembly is steered by external magnetic fields. We anticipate such materials can find applications in nanotechnology or nanomedicine.