US-Brazil Collaboration: Peptide nanostructure-based organic electronics

该项目发起了巴西圣安德烈的美国农业大学(UFABC)和美国密苏里大学哥伦比亚分校在作为有机电子活性材料和分子模板的多肽纳米结构领域的合作。这位来自巴西的合作者是超分子化学领域的专家，特别是在合成肽和其他生物启发的功能化纳米结构方面。这位美国研究员在有机/聚合物半导体的基础光学和电学研究领域经验丰富。这一具有互补专业知识的科学家之间的国际合作旨在合成新的功能化多肽纳米结构(PNS)和导电聚合物(CP)，如聚(3-己基噻吩基)(P3HT)。这些纳米结构可用于场效应晶体管(FET)等电子器件中，以探测基于多肽的半导体/绝缘体(介电)薄膜的界面性质。通过结合光谱学和电荷输运测量，将探索PNS-CP基场效应晶体管中包括压电效应在内的电荷输运的本质。这项合作工作可能成为将研究努力扩展到大面积生物启发纳米技术的垫脚石。该项目将为教育和外联活动提供机会。一名研究生将与来自巴西的研究生合作，增强技能的流动性和可传递性。该项目还将与密苏里大学现有的社区外联活动相结合，这些活动涉及创新的教学和公共政策举措。

This project initiates a collaborative effort between the Federal University of ABC (UFABC), Santo Andre, Brazil and the University of Missouri, Columbia, USA, in the area of peptide nanostructures as active materials and molecular templates for organic electronics. The collaborator from Brazil is an expert in the area of supramolecular chemistry, in particular, in the synthesis of peptide and other bio-inspired functionalized nanostructures. The US investigator is experienced in the area of fundamental optical and electrical studies of organic/polymeric semiconductors. This international collaboration between scientists having complementary expertise aims at the synthesis of new functionalized peptide-based nanostructures (PNS) with conducting polymers (CP) such as poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). These nanostructures may be utilized in electronic devices such as field-effect transistors (FETs) to probe the interface properties of peptide-based semiconductor/insulator (dielectric) films. By combining optical spectroscopy with charge transport measurements, the nature of charge transport including piezoelectric effects in PNS-CP based FETs will be explored. This collaborative work could be a stepping stone for expanding the research effort into large-area bio-inspired nanotechnology. The project will provide opportunities for educational and outreach activities. A graduate student will work with graduate students from Brazil, enhancing mobility and transferability of skills. The project will also be integrated with existing community outreach activities at the University of Missouri that involve innovative teaching and public policy initiatives.