CAREER: Protein Templates for Controlling Inorganic Nanoparticle Formation and Assembly

在无机、生物无机和有机金属化学项目的支持下，宾夕法尼亚大学化学系的Ivan J. Dmochowski教授提出利用铁蛋白的几何结构、组装特性和合成灵活性来设计新型无机生物材料。Dmochowski小组将通过实验和计算来探索铁蛋白内部稳定的氨基酸突变和修饰的范围，以合成单金属和双金属纳米颗粒以及半导体。通过控制蛋白质内部的配体和反应条件，将有可能指导具有新型光学、电子、磁性和催化性能的材料的合成。他还将利用实验和计算来修饰铁蛋白的内部和外部，以合成金属-蛋白质-金属或半导体-蛋白质-金属夹层配合物。最后，他的团队将把DNA和其他部分共价连接到铁蛋白表面，以控制这些纳米颗粒的组装。该研究项目将扩展蛋白质设计、化学合成和纳米科学的前沿，并将产生几种新的无机生物材料。教育活动补充了这项研究，并遵循他的使命，使化学易于接近和相关的公众。通过将主动学习、无线反馈和现实世界的例子结合起来，使学生参与到科学的过程中来，在普通化学课程中推进本科教育。Dmochowski将扩大生物分子成像的研究生课程，包括单分子光谱学、全内反射荧光和共聚焦显微镜的动手实验室练习。最后，与nsf赞助的纳米/生物界面中心（NBIC）合作，实验室的指导研究机会将扩展到不同年龄的学生。通过nbic赞助的社区外展活动，Dmochowski将努力教育公众关于化学在纳米科学和技术中的重要性。

With the support of the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallics Chemistry Program, Professor Ivan J. Dmochowski, of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania proposes to exploit the geometry, assembly properties, and synthetic flexibility of ferritin proteins for the design of novel inorganic biomaterials. The Dmochowski group will employ experiment and computation to explore the range of stable amino acid mutations and modifications on the interior of ferritin proteins for the synthesis of mono- and bimetallic nanoparticles as well as semiconductors. By controlling the ligands inside the protein and the reaction conditions, it will be possible to direct the synthesis of materials with novel optical, electronic, magnetic, and catalytic properties. He will also employ experiment and computation to modify the interior and exterior of ferritin proteins for the synthesis of metal-protein-metal or semiconductor-protein-metal sandwich complexes. Finally, his group will covalently attach DNA and other moieties to the surface of ferritin in order to control the assembly of these nanoparticles. This research program will extend frontiers at the interface of protein design, chemical synthesis, and nanoscience and will result in several new inorganic biomaterials. The educational activities complement this research, and follow from his mission to make Chemistry accessible and relevant to the public. Advances in undergraduate education will be made in a General Chemistry course, by incorporating active learning, wireless feedback, and real-world examples to engage the class in the scientific process. Dmochowski will expand a graduate course in Biomolecular Imaging to include hands-on laboratory exercises in single-molecule spectroscopy, total internal reflection fluorescence and confocal microscopies. Finally, mentored research opportunities in the laboratory will be extended to students of various ages, in collaboration with the NSF-sponsored Nano/Bio Interface Center (NBIC). Through NBIC-sponsored community outreach activities, Dmochowski will work to educate the public about the importance of Chemistry in nanoscience and technology.