Synthesis of TiO2 nanorods in the presence of linear DNA plasmid pBR322 by a sol–gel process

Abstract

In this work, we have synthesized titanium dioxide nanorods ranging in size from 20 to40 nm by means of the linear plasmid pBR322 and using titanium isopropoxide as aprecursor through the sol–gel process. The resulting gels were calcined and the resultingpowders were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersivespectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetricanalysis and differential thermal analysis. The results show that the synthesis in vitro ofnanorods in the presence of DNA can be achieved. Thus, we report the synthesisof hybrids made of nucleic acids in inorganic materials that may have severalapplications as catalytic systems, biomaterials and nanostructured materials.