RNA Mediated Evolution of Nanomaterials

该奖项在无机，生物无机和有机化学计划支持开发一种新的方法合成新材料，通过使用进化的RNA催化剂显示不寻常的物理性质和形态。本项目旨在深入了解RNA催化材料合成的机理，并努力利用RNA寻找其他先进的功能材料。 该项目的目标是：确定RNA催化的金属-金属和金属-氧键形成的机制细节;将RNA的一级和可能的二级结构与固态无机材料结构相关联;并开发新的体外选择方法，以开发新的电催化剂材料。RNA进化选择过程将用于分离催化固态材料形成的RNA序列，并可能应用于储氢，甲醇氧化，燃料电池和磁性器件和传感器的新催化材料。 研究生和本科生将在无机化学和分子生物学的接口的研究方法进行培训。

This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports the development of a novel method of synthesizing new materials, which display unusual physical properties and morphologies, through the use of evolved RNA catalysts. This project aims at a deeper mechanistic understanding of RNA-catalyzed materials synthesis, and endeavors to exploit RNA to search for other advanced functional materials. The goals of the project are to: determine mechanistic details for RNA-catalyzed metal-metal and metal-oxygen bond formation; correlate RNA primary and possibly secondary structure with solid-state inorganic materials structure; and develop new in vitro selection methodologies for evolving new electrocatalyst materials. An RNA evolutionary selection process will be used to isolate RNA sequences that catalyze the formation of solid-state materials, with potential applications to new catalytic materials for hydrogen storage, methanol oxidation, fuel cells and magnetic devices and sensors. Graduate students and undergraduates will be trained in research methods at the interface of inorganic chemistry and molecular biology.