Biological Templating and the Production of Functional Fibers
Abstract
Biology offers several advantages over traditional systems for the construction of novel materials. These include self-assembly, template-directed assembly, replication, molecular diversity, and the ability to screen and select from amidst this diversity. To harness the inherent advantages of biological systems, they must be interfaced with non-biological materials. Constructing these interfaces has been difficult because electrical/mechanical/optical systems have typically not been designed to accommodate the aqueous biochemistry of living systems. Recent research studies reported from the Belcher lab (Flynn, 2003; Mao, 2004; and Nam, 2006) demonstrate that this shortcoming can be overcome by utilizing genetically controlled proteins as templates to mineralize metals and inorganic materials at room temperature. In addition, fibers can be made from genetically controlled proteins in aqueous environments (Arcidiacono, 2002). Potentially, these genetically controlled peptides can mineralize inorganic or metallic particles at the surface of these fibers. Current, manufacturing of metallic or metallic-coated fibers requires high temperature and pressure processes, which are environmentally unfriendly and costly. These biological materials could open a new synthesis route to manufacture multifunctional fibers. In this paper, we will introduce the application of a genetically controlled filamentous bacteriophage in fabrication of functional fibers. New optical and semi-conducting fibers are envisioned in addition to catalysts, energy storage and generation technologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA481860
Entities
People
- Angela Belcher
- Charlene M. Mello
- Chung-yi Chiang
- Jiji Gu
Organizations
- United States Army Soldier Systems Center