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-肺界面使呼吸成为可能;细胞表面决定药物是否可以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的化学反应;材料的表面决定其功能（例如生物相容性或超疏水性）。这些都是由分子间弱的非键相互作用控制的，因此，了解界面结构和表面活性组分间相互作用的性质使我们能够理解、预测和控制界面过程。我们有三个主要的研究领域：首先是对细胞过程的生物物理性质以及界面脂质-脂质和脂质-蛋白质相互作用的基本理解。然后，我们使用我们的知识的横向组织的脂质膜和其特定的结合性能的功能材料的设计，特别是纳米图案化的薄膜和涂层的生物相容性和/或拴系特定的蛋白质底物的能力。最后，在接口的反应的知识，导致我们开发了一种新的实验方法，用于确定在处理大气气溶胶的表面反应的贡献。界面性质的变化最终决定了它们参与大气过程，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形成，表面臭氧分解和（纳米）结构表面方面的进展之上。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.