Exploiting Micrometer-Scale Replication of Fungal\nBiotemplates for Multifunctional Uses in Electrochemistry and SERS\nSubstrates

In this paper, filamentous\nfungi have been used as biotemplates\nto integrate gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) into the cell wall. A new\nchemical mechanism has been proposed to elucidate the assimilation\nof Au-NPs by fungi, considering the ionic current that arises in the\nfunction of fungal metabolism. After biological components were eliminated,\nmycelium-like gold microtubes have been obtained using different fungal\nspecies as precursors. Mycelium-like gold microtubes replicate the\nbiological shape of fungi, presenting inherent multifunctionality.\nThis work presents two promising applications for this material: high\nsurface area electrodes for electrochemical experiments and substrates\nfor SERS detection of organic molecules such as Rhodamine 6G.