ABSTRACT

One of the most inspiring confronts in modern science are fundamental studies and applications in association with those of molecular, inorganic, and biological material components in interdisciplinary research involving chemistry, physics, biology, materials science, and medicine. Biomolecules are of interest to a wide spectrum of scientists ranging from biologists, chemists, physicists, and material scientists to nanotechnologists. In the current scenario, the manipulations and assembly of molecules in general and biomolecules in particular, at the nanoscale, are of prime interest to the scientists, as their properties are completely different from their bulk counterparts. Among the various biomolecules, mainly biomacromolecules (large polymeric biomolecules) such as proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides, the nucleic acids gained special attention, owing to their important functions in living organisms, such as carrying genetic information from cell to cell and their unique

4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................77 4.2 Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) ....................................................................... 79 4.3 Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) ..............................................................................80 4.4 DNA-CNT Hybrids ........................................................................................ 82

4.4.1 Covalent Linkage ................................................................................ 83 4.4.2 Encapsulation of DNA in CNTs ......................................................... 91 4.4.3 Noncovalent Interactions Between DNA and CNTs ..........................93