Structure at interfaces: applications in biology, nanotechnology & the atmosphere

表面相互作用普遍存在于生活的各个方面：空气-肺界面使呼吸；细胞表面决定药物是否能与细菌膜相互作用并穿透细菌膜；气溶胶/颗粒表面决定云的形成和污染物反应的化学反应；材料表面决定其功能(例如生物相容性或超疏水性)。这些都是由分子之间弱的、非键的相互作用控制的。因此，关于界面结构和表面活性成分之间相互作用的性质的知识使我们能够理解、预测和控制界面过程。我们有三个主要的研究领域：第一是对细胞过程的生物物理性质的基本了解，以及对界面脂-脂和脂-蛋白相互作用的作用。然后，我们利用我们对脂膜的横向组织及其特定结合性能的知识来设计功能材料，特别是具有生物相容性和/或能够连接特定蛋白质底物的纳米膜和涂层。最后，对界面反应的了解使我们开发了一种新的实验方法，用于确定表面反应在处理大气气溶胶中的贡献。界面性质的变化最终决定了它们在大气过程中的参与，例如入射太阳辐射的散射和吸收，以及云的形成。这将建立在我们最近在研究生物膜中脂筏的形成、表面和(纳米)结构表面的臭氧分解方面的进展。这项研究将使用最先进的结构表面化学技术来解决对健康、环境和日常生活材料至关重要的领域。

Surface interactions are ubiquitous in all aspects of life: the air-lung interface enables breathing; the cell surface governs whether drugs can interact with and penetrate bacterial membranes; the aerosol/particle surface governs cloud formation and the chemistry of reactions of pollutants; the surface of a material defines its functionality (e.g. biocompatibilty or ultrahydrophobicity). These are all controlled by weak, non-bonding interactions between molecules.Thus, knowledge of interfacial structure and the nature of interactions between surface-active components allows us to understand, predict and control interfacial processes. We have three main areas of research: First is the fundamental understanding of the biophysical nature of cellular processes and the role on interfacial lipid-lipid and lipid-protein interactions. We then use our knowledge of the lateral organization of lipid films and their specific binding properties for the design of functional materials, in particular nanopatterned films and coatings with biocompatible properties and/or the ability to tether specific protein substrates. Finally, knowledge of reactions at interfaces has led to our development of a new experimental approach for determining the contribution of surface reactions in the processing atmospheric aerosols. The changes in interfacial properties ultimately govern their participation in atmospheric processes such as the scattering and absorption of incoming solar radiation, and cloud formation. This will build on our recent progress in studying lipid raft formation in biological membranes, ozonolysis at surfaces and (nano)structured surfaces.This research will use state-of-the art structural surface chemistry techniques to address areas of key importance to health, the environment and the materials of everyday life.