Redox Cycling within Nanoparticle-Nucleated Protein Superstructures: Electron Transfer between Nanoparticulate Gold, Molecular Reductant, and Cytochrome .

We previously described how thousands of the heme protein cytochrome (cyt.) self-organize into multilayered, roughly spherical superstructures as initiated by nucleation around one colloidal gold or silver nanoparticle. Within these superstructures, the protein is stabilized to unfolding in buffered media and survives superstructure encapsulation within silica gels and processing to form bioaerogels.

Cytochrome c Stabilization and Immobilization in Aerogels.

Sol-gel-derived aerogels are three-dimensional, nanoscale materials that combine large surface area with high porosity. These traits make them useful for any rate-critical chemical process, particularly sensing or electrochemical applications, once physical or chemical moieties are incorporated into the gels to add their functionality to the ultraporous scaffold. Incorporating biomolecules into aerogels, other than such rugged species as lipases or cellulose, has been challenging due to the inability of most biomolecules to remain structurally intact within the gels during the necessary supercritical fluid (SCF) processing.

Encapsulating Cytochrome c in Silica Aerogel Nanoarchitectures without Metal Nanoparticles while Retaining Gas-phase Bioactivity.

Applications such as sensors, batteries, and fuel cells have been improved through the use of highly porous aerogels when functional compounds are encapsulated within the aerogels. However, few reports on encapsulating proteins within sol-gels that are processed to form aerogels exist. A procedure for encapsulating cytochrome c (cyt.

Simplified procedure for encapsulating cytochrome c in silica aerogel nanoarchitectures while retaining gas-phase bioactivity.

Cytochrome c (cyt. c) has been encapsulated in silica sol-gels and processed to form bioaerogels with gas-phase activity for nitric oxide through a simplified synthetic procedure. Previous reports demonstrated a need to adsorb cyt.

Cytochrome C stabilization and immobilization in aerogels.

Sol-gel-derived aerogels are three-dimensional, nanoscale materials that combine large surface areas and high porosities. These traits make them useful for any rate-critical chemical process, particularly sensing or electrochemical applications, once physical or chemical moieties are incorporated into the gels to add their functionality into the ultraporous scaffold. Incorporating biomolecules into aerogels has been challenging due to the inability of most biomolecules to remain structurally intact within the gels during the necessary supercritical fluid processing.