(563d) Kinetic and Parametric Studies of Pd Mineralization on Barley Stripe Mosaic Virus (BSMV) Virus-like-Particles (VLPs) As Biotemplates

1-Dimensional (1D) metal nanostructures such as nanowires and nanorods are increasingly important in a wide array of applications ranging from electronics and catalysis to energy storage¹. Sustainable green methods of nanostructure synthesis are gaining attention due to the negative environmental impact of conventional methods of producing nanostructures. Application of viral biotemplates such as Barley Stripe Mosaic Virus (BSMV) Virus-Like-Particles (VLPs) is one such promising green method for producing metal nanorods such as Pd nanorods². BSMV VLP Capsid Proteins (CPs) contain amino acid residues consisting of electron rich functional groups such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amine groups capable of reducing Pd cation complexes present in an aqueous solution to induce Pd mineralization on the CPs³. Multiple cycles of mineralization of Pd on BSMV VLPs can be used to obtain uniform and smooth Pd nanorods. This study investigates the adsorption and reduction of Pd species on the BSMV VLP CPs using different palladium salt precursors (Na₂PdCl₄, Na₂PdBr₄, PdCl₂, and Pd(NO₃)₂) by the amino acid residues during each cycle of coating by the Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) Spectroscopy³. The effect of reaction conditions including palladium salt precursor and BSMV VLP concentration is examined using a parametric study. A kinetic study is used to calculate the reduction rate in each cycle of coating to propose a reaction mechanism for Pd mineralization on BSMV VLP. The observations from the kinetic and parametric studies are useful in optimizing Pd mineralization on the BSMV VLPs to obtain uniform Pd nanorods. The washing procedure for procuring Pd mineralized BSMV VLPs from the reaction solution used in each cycle of coating is a major challenge that has been addressed in this study.

This works is supported by the Nation Science Foundation (NSF) under grant number 2028634.