Collaborative Research: Designing Functional Bioligand Interfaces for Multifunctional Nanomaterials

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With support from the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professors Marc Knecht of the University of Miami and Anatoly Frenkel of Stony Brook University are combining chemical synthesis techniques and advanced analysis tools such as x-ray absorption spectroscopy to characterize the structure and function of specially designed peptides that are bonded to the surfaces of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are typically produced with a focus on the activity of the metals, but peptides on the surface could provide new functions. This is a challenging problem as these molecules must bind to the nanoparticle surface which can cause both the metal atoms and peptides to lose their activity. Professors Knecht, Frenkel, and their students are using bio-inspired design to tackle this challenge and use peptides that can bind nanoparticles and still present unique chemical activities. Their discoveries could lead to new methods to prepare multifunctional materials where the properties of the molecules on the particle surface can work in concert with those of the metal. In addition, this research is the basis of educational modules using nanotechnology and catalysis to engage with Miami-Dade County School students in a multi-generational model from middle to high school.The transformational properties of inorganic nanomaterials focus almost exclusively on the inorganic core where the ligand shell is typically limited to controlling stability and solubility. While these are two key factors in nanoparticle structure-property relationships, a great expansion of properties could be achieved by engendering the ligand shell with additional functionalities that work synergistically with the inorganic component to achieve a multifunctional platform. Professors Knecht and Frenkel hypothesize that multidomain peptides can be designed to generate functional nanoparticle ligand interfaces that operate synergistically with the inorganic core. Such peptides are being designed with materials binding domains and a second functional domain presented to solution. In this arrangement, the properties of the functional domain of the peptide are being tuned to operate in tandem with the properties of the nanoparticle inorganic core, resulting in a multifunctional platform. Catalytic processes and advanced spectroscopic methods are being used to monitor these properties and functions of the newly developed materials. Particular attention is being paid to the composition of both the nanoparticle inorganic core and the bio-ligand surface layer to increase the multifunctional nature of the materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.