Recent Advances in Fabrication of Well-Organized Protein-Based Nanostructures

A biomolecule-guided self-assembly is a powerful approach to systematically organize diverse inorganic nanoparticles into predefined nanostructures in multiple dimensions. A class of supramolecular proteins is one kind of such biomolecules natively possessing exquisite structures and modifiable ligands, providing a desired candidate for templating functional nanoparticles. Indeed, protein-based assembly of nano-objects has been emerging as one of the ideal routes to fabricate precise architectures. Here, we briefly summarize recent works of well-organized nanoparticle structures templated by individual proteins or highly ordered protein assemblies. The functionalization of protein templates and control over the interactions between nanoparticles and templates are highlighted. Finally, current challenges and future directions are discussed in the design of complicated protein-based materials.