Engineering Conductive Biomimetic Protein Assemblies
Abstract
Molecular organization is of crucial for the conduction of electrons. The microorganism Geobacter sulfurreducens is able to conduct electricity, producing the highest current densities. This remarkable ability to create a current and conduct is predominantly due to the type IV pili responsible for long-distance electron transport over micrometers. We propose to generate protein engineered programmable coiled-coil Geobacter sulfurreducens pili mimics that integrate key features for electron conduction resulting in new protein bioelectronic materials. We will achieve this ultimate goal through a systematic approach in which we: (1) gain control over the longitudinal assembly of the protein fibers and engineer in aromatic phenylalanines within the interior for optimal pi-pi stacking to produce conductive helical assembled fibers (CHAFs); (2) control the alignment of the fibers through electrospinning to create conductive helical assembled fibrous mat (CHAFmat) and assess the impact of alignment on electron conduction; and (3) design photocrosslinkable handles on the surface of fibers to develop photo-conductive helical assembled fibrous gel (photo-CHAFgel) that can be photocrosslinked and assessed for electron conduction. The proposed research will lead to insights into: (1) the design of directional assembly of proteinderived fibers and control over the pi-pi stacking for electron conduction; (2) the alignment of protein fibers and impact on electron conduction; and (3) the development of photo-crosslinked fibrous gels in which nanoscaled assembly and microscaled patterning are controlled for electron transport. The functionalization of protein-engineered fibers will be driven by theoretical/computational design and validated through experimental materials characterization. The proposed research will have significant implications in bioinspired bioelectronic materials with applications in fuel cells, biocompatible and portable power sources, miniature sensors, spintronics, data transfer and data storage. This project abstract is publicly releasable. This proposed research would best fit in the Biochemistry Program (Dr. Stephanie McElhinney)in the Life Sciences Division at ARO.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 28, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF2310269
Entities
People
- Jin K Montclare
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- New York University
- United States Army