Biomimetic Fabrication and Catalytic Application of Pd Nanoparticle Networks

智力优势：大自然为生物体提供了制造独特和特定成分的复杂建筑纳米结构的能力。在某些情况下，这些结构的制备是由能够成核、生长和钝化纳米结构的多肽介导的，这些多肽对组成具有高度特定的控制。为了在实验室中模拟这些自然过程，科学家们从生物有机体中分离出多肽，并通过合成组合方法制备它们。后一种策略很有前途，因为它们模仿了生物方法；然而，这些仿生材料的功能程度以及它们的结构/功能关系还不是很清楚。这项提议的目标是开发生产复杂功能材料的仿生方法。第一个目标是探索基于形状的多肽的合成能力。PI将使用生物硅化过程中涉及的硅藻自组装R5肽来模板非球形Pd纳米材料的制备。第二个目标集中在这些结构的催化活性上，这些结构中的无机成分很可能被包裹在多肽骨架中，多肽骨架可能作为催化活性的选择性门。最终目标是探索如何将这些材料转化为多相体系。通过将材料附着在碳纳米管(CNT)上，复合材料可以用于轻松分离催化剂以及探索催化机理的结构。BROADER影响：PI将致力于提高肯塔基大学化学学生的保留率，使用基于科学的电影作为一种方法来吸引学生的兴趣和注意。在化学系，留校率低于大学平均水平，留校率是一个令人担忧的问题。学生保留率低的主要原因被认为是大班额导致了客观的氛围。对于化学专业的学生来说，在该项目的头两年里，他们的大部分教学都是在大课堂上进行的。为了帮助解决这个问题，PI建议开发一部化学系电影系列，旨在刺激各级学生与化学教职员工之间的互动。PI是美国化学学会学生协会的教职顾问。在附属机构会议的背景下，将播放涉及当前科学问题和科学政策问题的影片。在每次这样的陈述之后，将举行一个公开论坛，由电影主题领域的专家领导。希望通过这项活动，让学生思考所涉及的科学问题和科学在社会中的重要性，并提高学生对化学专业追求机会的认识。与此同时，学生们将更好地了解校园内广泛的教师、研究机会和其他可供他们使用的资源。

INTELLECTUAL MERIT: Nature has provided organisms with the ability to produce intricate architectural nanostructures of unique and specific compositions. In some cases, preparation of these structures is mediated by peptides that can nucleate, grow, and passivate nanostructures with high specific control over the composition. In order to mimic these natural processes in the laboratory, scientists have isolated peptides from biological organisms and have also prepared them by synthetic combinatorial methods. The latter strategies are promising as they mimic biological methods; however, the degree of functionality of these biomimetic materials, and their structure/function relationship, is not well understood. The goal of this proposal is to develop biomimetic methods for the production of complex functional materials. The first objective is to explore the shape-based synthetic capabilities of peptides. The PI will employ the self-assembling R5 peptide of diatoms implicated in the biosilicification process to template the fabrication of non-spherical Pd nanomaterials. The second objective focuses on the catalytic activity of these structures in which the inorganic components are likely to be encapsulated within the peptide framework, which may act as a selective gate for catalytic reactivity. The final objective explores the conversion of these materials to heterogeneous systems. By attaching the materials on carbon nanotubes (CNT), the composites could be used for facile separation of the catalysts as well as structures to probe the catalytic mechanism.BROADER IMPACTS: The PI will work to improve the retention rate of Chemistry students at the University of Kentucky using science based cinema as a method to capture student interest and attention. Retention is of significant concern in the Chemistry Department, where retention rates fall below the University average. The principal reasons for low student retention are thought to be large class sizes that lead to an impersonal atmosphere. For Chemistry majors a substantial portion of their instruction during their first two years within the program is in large lecture classes. To help counteract this problem, the PI proposes to develop a Chemistry Department cinema series designed to stimulate interactions between students at all levels with Chemistry faculty. The PI is the faculty advisor for the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society. In the context of the Affiliates meetings, films will be presented that address current scientific issues and issues of science policy. Following each such presentation an open forum will be held, led by experts in the topic areas of the film. It is hoped through this activity to engage the students in thinking about the scientific issues involved and the importance of science in society and to increase the students' awareness of the opportunities that pursuit of the Chemistry major can open to them. At the same time, the students will become better acquainted with the wide range of faculty, research opportunities, and other resources available to them on the campus.