Realizing a two-dimensional ordered array of ferritin molecules directly on a solid surface utilizing carbonaceous material affinity peptides.

A two-dimensional hexagonally close-packed (2D-HCP) array of ferritin molecules with a nanoparticle core was fabricated directly on a carbonaceous solid substrate by genetically modifying the outer surface of the ferritin with carbonaceous materials-specific binding peptides. The displayed peptides endowed ferritins with a specific protein-substrate interaction and masked the strong nonspecific interaction. The specific interaction was weak enough to allow ferritins to be rearranged as well as an attractive protein-protein interaction that could be adjusted by selecting the buffer conditions. This method not only produced 2D-HCP arrays of ferritin but also 2D-ordered arrays of independent inorganic nanoparticles after protein elimination that can be applied to floating gate memories.