title: Inorganic biomimetic nanostructures.
abstract: Supramolecular structures modeled after biological systems (DNA and enzymes) are being developed to simultaneously mimic natural biological functions including catalysis, information storage, and self-assembly and to engineer novel electronic and magnetic properties. Structural mimics of nucleic acids containing multiple metal-coordinating ligands, and comprising natural and artificial bases or completely synthetic systems, create stable double-stranded structures with new electronic, spectroscopic, and magnetic properties. Supramolecular inorganic mimics of enzymatic function, including metallonucleases and metalloproteases, have begun to be constructed. Alternatively, metal-organic-frameworks have potential as artificial catalysts with substrate-specificity and size-selectivity analogous to biological processes. This review describes some of the recent themes in inorganic supramolecular systems that aim to mimic and exploit nature's ability to self-assemble polyfunctional architectures for new materials and biological applications.
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Chemistry, 104 Chemistry Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Mary Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D009942:Organometallic Compounds