Programmable Synthesis of Structurally Diverse and Functional Biomimetic Materials from Sequence-defined Polymers
EMSL Project ID
60575
Abstract
Programmable synthesis of functional nanomaterials with diverse morphologies and functionalities is challenging in terms of both the limited chemical systems accessible and a lack of understanding of how molecular moieties dictate the formation pathways of different structures. The proposed study aims to utilize EMSL capabilities to investigate the self-assembly of bio- and biomimetic macromolecules, such as proteins and peptoids, into hierarchical materials and their sequence design on the influence of nanocrystal nucleation and growth, which will ultimately lead to the predictive synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid materials with desired properties. Specifically, the following capabilities at EMSL will be used: (i) aberration-corrected TEM and STEM, (ii) liquid-cell electron microscopy, (iii) SEM with elemental mapping capabilities, (iv) AFM combined with fluorescence microscopy, (v) in situ ATR-FTIR, and (vi) cryo-EM which allows for high-resolution, analytical, and real-time characterization and monitoring of the size, morphology, and polymorphs of self-assembled biomimetic macromolecules and nanocrystals. These capabilities will be used to determine the roles of sequence-defined polymers in macromolecular self-assembly and bio-controlled nanocrystal formation. By manipulating the polymer-polymer and polymer-particle interactions, we will obtain new insights into bio-controlled inorganic material formation. These results will provide the foundation for future DOE BER research on bio-controlled nanomaterial formation, in particular, the recent BER’s focus in the Next Biology Initiative for genome-encoded synthesis of hybrid materials.
Project Details
Start Date
2022-10-06
End Date
2023-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members