Templated nanocrystal assembly on biodynamic artificial microtubule asters.

Microtubules (MTs) and the MT-associated proteins (MAPs) are critical cooperative agents involved in complex nanoassembly processes in biological systems. These biological materials and processes serve as important inspiration in developing new strategies for the assembly of synthetic nanomaterials in emerging techologies. Here, we explore a dynamic biofabrication process, modeled after the form and function of natural aster-like MT assemblies such as centrosomes.

Metalloporphyrin assemblies on pyridine-functionalized titanium dioxide.

Porphyrin adsorption on TiO2 nanoparticles has been achieved for multiple porphyrins, and in mixed porphyrin assemblies, via axial ligation to surface-bound pyridine anchored by either para carboxylic or phosphonic functionalizations. Homogenous assemblies were prepared and characterized, while mixed metalloporphyrin assemblies were demonstrated by controlling the concentration ratios of respective porphyrins in the modifying solution. Evaluation of the assemblies using spectroscopic techniques and electrochemistry confirms high porphyrin retention, while exhibiting their surface bound optical and electrochemical properties.

The stability and functionality of chemically crosslinked microtubules.

A variety of bifunctional crosslinking agents have been explored for stabilizing microtubule shuttles used for the active transport of nanomaterials in artificial environments. Crosslinking agents that target amine residues form intertubulin crosslinks that produce crosslinked microtubules (CLMTs) with structural and functional lifetimes that can be up to four times as long as those achieved with taxol stabilization. Such CLMTs are stable at temperatures down to -10 degrees C, are resistant to depolymerization induced by metal ions such as Ca2+, and yet continue to be adsorbed and transported by self-assembled monolayers containing the motor protein kinesin.

Direct control of the magnetic interaction between iron oxide nanoparticles through dendrimer-mediated self-assembly.

Cationic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were assembled using a series of anionic polyamidoamine dendrimers. The resulting assemblies featured systematically increasing average interparticle spacing over a 2.4 nm range with increasing dendrimer generation.

Controlled interparticle spacing through self-assembly of Au nanoparticles and poly(amidoamine) dendrimers.

Control of particle-particle spacing is a key determinant of optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of nanocomposite materials. We have used poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers to assemble carboxylic acid-functionalized mixed monolayer protected clusters (MMPCs) through acid/base chemistry between the particle and dendrimer. Small angle X-ray scattering was then used to establish average inter-MMPC distances.

Supramolecular assembly on surfaces: manipulating conductance in noncovalently modified mesoscale structures.

Molecules capable of complementary hydrogen bonding were used to control the noncovalent self-assembly and electronic properties of a chemically well-defined surface mesostructure. In this work, we patterned a footprint region for molecular assembly on a surface and used moieties featuring complementary recognition to tune the current-voltage properties of the patterned region. With the appropriate functionalities on the complementary moieties, we were able to increase and decrease the observed conductance in surface-bound mesoscale structures imaged by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).

Radial control of recognition and redox processes with multivalent nanoparticle hosts.

Mixed Monolayer Protected Gold Clusters (MMPCs) featuring both hydrogen bonding and aromatic stacking molecular recognition functionalities have been used to create multivalent hosts for flavins. Multitopic binding of these hosts to flavin was shown to have a strong radial dependence: when the recognition site was brought closer to the MMPC surface, recognition was enhanced approximately 3-fold due to increased preorganization. The effect of preorganization is reversed upon reduction of flavin, where the MMPC with longer side chains bind the flavin guest approximately 7-fold stronger than the short chain counterpart due to unfavorable dipolar interactions between the electron-rich aromatic stacking units of the host and the anionic flavin guest.

Recognition-mediated assembly of nanoparticles into micellar structures with diblock copolymers.

Polystyrene-based diblock copolymers, featuring diaminotriazine functionality on one of the blocks were used to assemble complementary uracil-functionalized nanoparticles into micellar aggregates. The size of these self-assembled aggregates was controlled by block length, as determined in solution (using dynamic light scattering), and in thin films (using transmission electron microscopy).