The present invention relates to gold binding peptides and shape- and size-tunable synthesis of gold nanostructures. The present inventions are very useful for the production of well-designed, gold-based architectures. The size- and shape-specific gold nanostructure materials prepared by the present invention may find use as: highly conductive interconnections for single-electron transistors, catalysts for the oxidation of carbon monoxide biological and chemical sensors and as contrasting agents for electron microscopic and medical imaging applications.
