A virus is a nanoscaled biomolecular substance composed of genes, protecting capsid proteins, and envelopes. The nanoscale dimensions and surface functionalities of virions have been exploited to attract and assemble inorganic and organic materials to produce functional nanomaterials with large surface areas. Genetic modifications of virus capsid proteins lead to the selective deposition and controlled growth of inorganic substances producing organized virus-based hybrid materials. Due to these properties, viruses hold promise for development as platforms for the creation of hybrid materials with multiple functionalities. This article reviews the characteristics of commonly used viruses and their fabrication into virus-based hybrid materials that have been applied in engineering applications such as nanowires and catalysts.

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A new synthetic strategy enabling highly controlled aqueous-phase palladium crystallization on the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is demonstrated without the addition of external reducing agents. This low cost, solution processing method yields continuous and uniform coatings of polycrystalline palladium on TMV, creating highly uniform palladium nanowires of tens of nanometers in thickness and hundreds of nanometers in length. Our approach utilizes a palladium chloride precursor to produce metallic Pd coatings on TMV without the need for an external reducing agent. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and in situ transmission electron microscopy were used to confirm the reduction of the surface palladium oxide layer on the palladium metal wires during room temperature hydrogenation. This leads to metallic palladium nanowires with surfaces free of residual organics, making these structures suitable for applications in nanoscale electronics.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), an inflammatory disease involving disrupted lung development, is associated with neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> This study examined the brain volume and white matter (WM) microstructure in preterm infants at term-equivalent age and explored the effects of BPD on brain development. <b><i>Method:</i></b> We studied 56 preterm infants (33 with BPD and 23 without BPD) with no evidence of focal abnormalities on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term-equivalent age. Regional brain volumes and diffusion tensor images were examined using advanced segmentation techniques to acquire quantitative volume measurements, and the JHU neonatal template was used for the atlas-based analysis. We compared these infants with 22 healthy term infants of a similar postmenstrual age. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The preterm infants with BPD had smaller cerebral WM (<i>p</i> = 0.005) volumes than the preterm infants without BPD, independent of sex, gestational age, age at MRI scan, and total intracranial volume. Independent of sex, gestational age, and age at MRI scan, the preterm infants with BPD exhibited marked reductions in fractional anisotropy in the corpus callosum (<i>p</i> = 0.006), corticospinal tract (<i>p</i> = 0.003), and superior cerebellar peduncle (<i>p</i> = 0.002) compared with the infants with no BPD, with a significance level of <i>p</i> ≤ 0.008 as a Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our study highlights the potential impairing influence of BPD on WM and cerebellar development in preterm infants compared with those without BPD at term-equivalent age, suggesting its clinical significance for neurodevelopment in BPD infants.