Recent advances in chemical functionalization of nanoparticles with biomolecules for analytical applications

The recent synthetic development of a variety of nanoparticles has led to their widespread application in diagnostics and therapeutics. In particular, the controlled size and shape of nanoparticles precisely determine their unique chemical and physical properties, which is highly attractive for accurate analysis of given systems. In addition to efforts toward controlling the synthesis and properties of nanoparticles, the surface functionalization of nanoparticles with biomolecules has been intensively investigated since the mid-1990s. The complicated yet programmable properties of biomolecules have proved to substantially enhance and enrich the novel functions of nanoparticles to achieve smart nanoparticle materials. In this review, the advances in chemical functionalization of four types of representative nanoparticle with DNA and protein molecules in the past five years are critically reviewed, and their future trends are predicted.