NIRT: Whole-Cell Biosynthesis of Nanostructured Metal Oxide Semiconductors

罗勒0400648半导体纳米复合材料具有新颖的光学和电学性质，可以通过控制复合纳米相的尺寸来调节。这项研究将探索一条新的生物路线，获得具有微尺度特征的纳米结构半导体材料。在自然界中，许多海洋生物和水生生物从水中吸收无机物质来制作华丽的贝壳，这些贝壳具有明确的纳米和微结构。例如，硅藻是一类单细胞藻类，它具有制造二氧化硅纳米球并将其组装成复杂微结构的能力。这项研究和教育计划的总体目标是利用硅藻细胞培养的纳米生物化学机制来制备以硅(Si)、锗(Ge)和钛(Ti)为基础的纳米结构金属氧化物半导体材料。该研究计划有三个目标：1)开发基于灌流的生物反应器处理策略，用于在硅藻细胞培养中生物合成纳米结构金属氧化物材料；2)表征在硅藻细胞中制备的复合金属氧化物材料的纳米结构和化学结构；3)表征经过适当的生物成因无机材料的后处理后的纳米结构金属氧化物材料的光电性能。最终，生物处理策略将与生物纳米结构相关。反过来，生物纳米结构和后处理将与光电特性相关。使用活细胞制造半导体的挑战和兴奋将工程学、生物学和物理学结合在一起，将激发所有水平的学生的想象力。研究生将在细胞生物技术、纳米成像和半导体材料表征方面进行独特的交叉培训。

Rorrer 0400648Semiconductor nanocomposite materials possess novel optical and electronic properties that can be tuned by manipulating the dimensions of the composite nanophases. This research will explore a new biological route to nanostructured semiconductor materials that possess microscale features. In Nature, many marine and aquatic organisms assimilate inorganic materials from water to make ornate shell casings that possess defined nano- and microstructure. For example, diatoms, a class of single-celled algae, possess the ability to make silica nanospheres and assemble them into intricate microstructures. The overall goal of this research and education program is to harness the nanobiochemical machinery of diatom cell cultures to fabricate nanostructured metal oxide semiconductor materials based on silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), and titanium (Ti). The Research Plan has three objectives: 1) Develop perfusion-based bioreactor processing strategies for the biosynthesis of nanostructured metal oxide materials in diatom cell culture; 2) Characterize the nanostructure and chemical structure of the composite metal oxide materials fabricated within the diatom cell; 3) Characterize the optoelectronic properties of the nanostructured metal oxide materials, after the appropriate post-processing of the biogenic inorganic material. Ultimately, bioprocessing strategies will be correlated to biogenic nanostructures. In turn, biogenic nanostructure and post processing will be correlated to optoelectronic properties. The challenge and excitement of using a living cell to fabricate a semiconductor combines engineering, biology, and physics in a way that will capture the imagination of students at all levels. Graduate students will be uniquely cross-trained in cell biotechnology, nano-imaging, and semiconductor materials characterization.