Enhancement of electronic effects at a biomolecule-inorganic interface by multivalent interactions

The binding of peptides and proteins through multiple weak interactions is ubiquitous in nature. Biopanning has been used to "hijack" this multivalent binding for the functionalization of surfaces. For practical applications it is important to understand how multivalency influences the binding interactions and the resulting behaviour of the surface. Considering the importance of optimization of the electronic properties of surfaces in diverse electronic and optoelectronic applications, we study here the relation between the multivalency effect and the resulting modulation of the surface work function. We use 12-mer peptides, which were found to strongly bind to oxide surfaces, to functionalize indium tin oxide (ITO) surfaces. We show that the affinity of the peptides for the ITO surface, and concurrently the effect on the ITO work function, are linearly affected by the number of basic residues in the sequence. The multivalent binding interactions lead to a peptide crowding effect, and a stronger modulation of the work function for adodecapeptide than for a single basic amino acid functionalization. The bioderived molecular platform presented herein can pave the way to a novel approach to improve the performance of optoelectronic devices in an eco-friendly manner.

Mechanism of Side Chain-Controlled Proton Conductivity in Bioinspired Peptidic Nanostructures

Bioinspired peptide assemblies are promising candidates for use as proton-conducting materials in electrochemical devices and other advanced technologies. Progress toward applications requires establishing foundational structure-function relationships for transport in these materials. This experimental-theoretical study sheds light on how the molecular structure and proton conduction are linked in three synthetic cyclic peptide nanotube assemblies that comprise the three canonical basic amino acids (lysine, arginine, and histidine). Experiments find an order of magnitude higher proton conductivity for lysine-containing peptide assemblies compared to histidine and arginine containing assemblies. The simulations indicate that, upon peptide assembly, the basic amino acid side chains are close enough to enable direct proton transfer. The proton transfer kinetics is determined in the simulations to be governed by the structure and flexibility of the side chains. Together, experiments and theory indicate that the proton mobility is the main determinant of proton conductivity, critical for the performance of peptide-based devices.

Dynamic Surface Layer Coiled Coil Proteins Processing Analog-to-Digital Information

Surface layer proteins perform multiple functions in prokaryotic cells, including cellular defense, cell-shape maintenance, and regulation of import and export of materials. However, mimicking the complex and dynamic behavior of such two-dimensional biochemical systems is challenging, and hence research has so far focused mainly on the design and manipulation of the structure and functionality of protein assemblies in solution. Motivated by the new opportunities that dynamic surface layer proteins may offer for modern technology, we herein demonstrate that immobilization of coiled coil proteins onto an inorganic surface facilitates complex behavior, manifested by reversible chemical reactions that can be rapidly monitored as digital surface readouts. Using multiple chemical triggers as inputs and several surface characteristics as outputs, we can realize reversible switching and logic gate operations that are read in parallel. Moreover, using the same coiled coil protein monolayers for derivatization of nanopores drilled into silicon nitride membranes facilitates control over ion and mass transport through the pores, thereby expanding the applicability of the dynamic coiled coil system for contemporary stochastic biosensing applications.

Proton-Conductive Melanin-Like Fibers through Enzymatic Oxidation of a Self-Assembling Peptide

Melanin pigments have various properties that are of technological interest including photo- and radiation protection, rich coloration, and electronic functions. Nevertheless, laboratory-based synthesis of melanin and melanin-like materials with morphologies and chemical structures that are specifically optimized for these applications, is currently not possible. Here, melanin-like materials that are produced by enzymatic oxidation of a supramolecular tripeptide structures that are rich in tyrosine and have a 1D morphology are demonstrated, that are retained during the oxidation process while conducting tracks form through oxidative tyrosine crosslinking. Specifically, a minimalistic self-assembling peptide, Lys-Tyr-Tyr (KYY) with strong propensity to form supramolecular fibers, is utilized. Analysis by Raman spectroscopy shows that the tyrosines are pre-organized inside these fibers and, upon enzymatic oxidation, result in connected catechols. These form 1D conducting tracks along the length of the fiber, which gives rise to a level of internal disorder, but retention of the fiber morphology. This results in highly conductive structures demonstrated to be dominated by proton conduction. This work demonstrates the ability to control oxidation but retain a well-defined fibrous morphology that does not have a known equivalent in biology, and demonstrate exceptional conductivity that is enhanced by enzymatic oxidation.

The role of CdS doping in improving SWIR photovoltaic and photoconductive responses in solution grown CdS/PbS heterojunctions

Low cost short wavelength infrared (SWIR) photovoltaic (PV) detectors and solar cells are of very great interest, yet the main production technology today is based on costly epitaxial growth of InGaAs layers. In this study, layers of p-type, quantum confined (QC) PbS nano-domains (NDs) structure that were engineered to absorb SWIR light at 1550 nm (Eg = 0.8 eV) were fabricated from solution using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The layers were grown on top of two different n-type CdS intermediate layers (Eg = 2.4 eV) using two different CBD protocols on fluoride tin oxide (FTO) substrates. Two types of CdS/PbS heterojunction were obtained to serve as SWIR PV detectors. The two resulting devices showed similar photoluminescence behavior, but a profoundly different electrical response to SWIR illumination. One type of CdS/PbS heterojunction exhibited a PV response to SWIR light, while the other demonstrated a photo-response to SWIR light only under an applied bias. To clarify this intriguing phenomenon, and since the only difference between the two heterojunctions could be the doping level of the CdS layer, we measured the doping level of this layer by means of the surface photo voltage (SPV). This yielded different polarizations for the two devices, indicating different doping levels of the CdS for the two different fabrication protocols, which was also confirmed by Hall Effect measurements. We performed current voltage measurements under super bandgap illumination, with respect to CdS, and got an electrical response indicating a barrier free for holes transfer from the CdS to the PbS. The results indicate that the different response does, indeed, originate from variations in the band structures at the interface of the CdS/PbS heterojunction due to the different doping levels of the CdS. We found that, unlike solar cells or visible light detectors having similar structure, in SWIR photodetectors, a type I heterojunction is formed having a barrier at the interface that limits the injection of the photo-exited electrons from the QC-PbS to the CdS side. Higher n-doped CdS generates a narrow depletion region on the CdS side, with a spike like barrier that is narrow enough to enable tunneling current, leading to a PV current. Our results show that an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of ∼2% and an internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of ∼20% can be obtained, at zero bias, for CBD grown SWIR sensitive CdS/PbS-NDs heterojunctions.

Systematic modification of the indium tin oxide work function via side-chain modulation of an amino-acid functionalization layer

Controlled modification of the semiconductor surface work function is of fundamental importance for improvements in the efficiency of (opto-)electronic devices. Binding amino acids to a semiconductor surface through their common carboxylic group offers a versatile tool for modulation of surface properties by the choice of their side chain. This approach is demonstrated here by tailoring the surface work function of indium tin oxide, one of the most abundant transparent electrodes in organic optoelectronic devices. We find that the work function can be systematically tuned by the side chain of the amino acid, resulting in either an increase or a decrease of the work function, over a large range of ∼250 meV. This side chain effect is mostly due to alteration of the dipole component perpendicular to the surface, with a generally smaller contribution for changes in surface band bending. These findings also shed light on electronic interactions at the interface between proteins and semiconductors, which are of importance for future bio-electronic devices.

Tailor-Made Functional Peptide Self-Assembling Nanostructures

Noncovalent interactions are the main driving force in the folding of proteins into a 3D functional structure. Motivated by the wish to reveal the mechanisms of the associated self-assembly processes, scientists are focusing on studying self-assembly processes of short protein segments (peptides). While this research has led to major advances in the understanding of biological and pathological process, only in recent years has the applicative potential of the resulting self-assembled peptide assemblies started to be explored. Here, major advances in the development of biomimetic supramolecular peptide assemblies as coatings, gels, and as electroactive materials, are highlighted. The guiding lines for the design of helical peptides, β strand peptides, as well as surface binding monolayer-forming peptides that can be utilized for a specific function are highlighted. Examples of their applications in diverse immerging applications in, e.g., ecology, biomedicine, and electronics, are described. Taking into account that, in addition to extraordinary design flexibility, these materials are naturally biocompatible and ecologically friendly, and their production is cost effective, the emergence of devices incorporating these biomimetic materials in the market is envisioned in the near future.

Measuring Proton Currents of Bioinspired Materials with Metallic Contacts

Charge transfer at the interface between the active layer and the contact is essential in any device. Transfer of electronic charges across the contact/active layer interface with metal contacts is well-understood. To this end, noble metals, such as gold or platinum, are widely used. With these contacts, ionic currents (especially protonic) are often neglected because ions and protons do not transfer across the interface between the contact and the active layer. Palladium hydride contacts have emerged as good contacts to measure proton currents because of a reversible redox reaction at the interface and subsequent absorption/desorption of H into palladium, translating the proton flow reaching the interface into an electron flow at the outer circuit. Here, we demonstrate that gold and palladium contacts also collect proton currents, especially under high relative humidity conditions because of electrochemical reactions at the interface. A marked kinetic isotope effect, which is a signature of proton currents, is observed with gold and palladium contacts, indicating both bulk and contact processes involving proton transfer. These phenomena are attributed to electrochemical processes involving water splitting at the interface. In addition to promoting charge transfer at the interface, these interfacial electrochemical processes inject charge carriers into the active layer and hence can also modulate the bulk resistivity of the materials, as was found for the studied peptide fibril films. We conclude that proton currents may not be neglected a priori when performing electronic measurements on biological and bioinspired materials with gold and palladium contacts under high humidity conditions.

Peptide-functionalized semiconductor surfaces: strong surface electronic effects from minor alterations to backbone composition

Semiconductor surface electronic properties are shown to be sensitive to subtle changes in the backbone composition of surface-bound dipeptide ligands.

Sequence dependent proton conduction in self-assembled peptide nanostructures

The advancement of diverse electrochemistry technologies depends on the development of novel proton conducting polymers. Inspired by the efficacy of proton transport through proteins, we show in this work that self-assembling peptide nanostructures may be a promising alternative for such organic proton conducting materials. We demonstrate that aromatic amino acids, which participate in charge transport in nature, unprecedentedly promote proton conduction under both high and low relative humidity conditions for d,l α-cyclic peptide nanotubes. For dehydrated networks long-range order of the assemblies, induced by the aromatic side chains, is shown to be a dominating factor for promoting conductivity. However, for hydrated networks this order of effect is less significant and conductivity can be improved by the introduction of proton donating carboxylic acid peptide side chains in addition to the aromatic side chains despite the lower order of the assemblies. Based on these observations, a novel cyclic peptide that incorporates non-natural naphthyl side chains was designed. Self-assembled nanotubes of this peptide show greatly improved dehydrated conductivity, while maintaining high conductivity under hydrated conditions. We envision that the demonstrated modularity and versatility of these bio inspired nanostructures will make them extremely attractive building blocks for the fabrication of devices for energy conversion and storage applications, as well as other applications that involve proton transport, whether dry or wet conductivity is desired.

Influence of Solvent in Controlling Peptide-Surface Interactions

Protein binding to surfaces is an important phenomenon in biology and in modern technological applications. Extensive experimental and theoretical research has been focused in recent years on revealing the factors that govern binding affinity to surfaces. Theoretical studies mainly focus on examining the contribution of the individual amino acids or, alternatively, the binding potential energies of the full peptide, which are unable to capture entropic contributions and neglect the dynamic nature of the system. We present here a methodology that involves the combination of nonequilibrium dynamics simulations with strategic mutation of polar residues to reveal the different factors governing the binding free energy of a peptide to a surface. Using a gold-binding peptide as an example, we show that relative binding free energies are a consequence of the balance between strong interactions of the peptide with the surface and the ability for the bulk solvent to stabilize the peptide.

Introducing charge transfer functionality into prebiotically relevant β-sheet peptide fibrils

Incorporation of naphthalene diimide moieties as side chains of short amphiphilic peptide results in the formation of fibrils that exhibit substantial intermolecular π-stacking interactions. These interactions can be manipulated without affecting the structure. The new system is suggested as a first step towards functional self-synthesizing materials.

Amplification of single molecule translocation signal using β-strand peptide functionalized nanopores

Changes in ionic current flowing through nanopores due to binding or translocation of single biopolymer molecules enable their detection and characterization. It is, however, much more challenging to detect small molecules due to their rapid and small signal signature. Here we demonstrate the use of de novo designed peptides for functionalization of nanopores that enable the detection of a small analytes at the single molecule level. The detection relies on cooperative peptide conformational change that is induced by the binding of the small molecule to a receptor domain on the peptide. This change results in alteration of the nanopore effective diameter and hence induces current perturbation signal. On the basis of this approach, we demonstrate here the detection of diethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate (paraoxon), a poisonous organophosphate molecule. Paraoxon binding is induced by the incorporation of the catalytic triad of acetylcholine esterase in the hydrophilic domain of a short amphiphilic peptide and promotes β-sheet assembly of the peptide both in solution and for peptide molecules immobilized on solid surfaces. Nanopores coated with this peptide allowed the detection of paraoxon at the single molecule level revealing two binding arrangements. This unique approach, hence, provides the ability to study interactions of small molecules with the corresponding engineered receptors at the single molecule level. Furthermore, the suggested versatile platform may be used for the development of highly sensitive small analytes sensors.

Transient fibril structures facilitating nonenzymatic self-replication

An emerging new direction of research focuses on developing "self-synthesizing materials", those supramolecular structures that can promote their own formation by accelerating the synthesis of building blocks and/or an entire assembly. It was postulated recently that practical design of such systems can benefit from the ability to control the assembly of amphiphilic molecules into nanostructures. We describe here the self-assembly pathway of short amphiphilic peptides into various forms of soluble β-sheet structures--β-plates, fibrils, and hollow nanotubes--and their consequent activity as autocatalysts for the synthesis of monomeric peptides from simpler building blocks. A detailed kinetic analysis of both the self-assembly and self-replication processes allows us to suggest a full model and simulate the replication process, revealing that only specific structures, primarily fibrils that are stable within the solution for a time shorter than a few hours, can be active as catalysts. Interestingly, we have found that such a process also induces fibril reproduction, in a mechanism very similar to the propagation of prion proteins by transmission of misfolded states.

Charge transport in vertically aligned, self-assembled peptide nanotube junctions

The self-assembly propensity of peptides has been extensively utilized in recent years for the formation of supramolecular nanostructures. In particular, the self-assembly of peptides into fibrils and nanotubes makes them promising building blocks for electronic and electro-optic applications. However, the mechanisms of charge transfer in these wire-like structures, especially in ambient conditions, are not yet fully understood. We describe here a layer-by-layer deposition methodology of short self-assembled cyclic peptide nanotubes, which results in vertically oriented nanotubes on gold substrates. Using this novel deposition methodology, we have fabricated molecular junctions with a conductive atomic force microscopy tip as a second electrode. Studies of the junctions' current-voltage characteristics as a function of the nanotube length revealed an efficient charge transfer in these supramolecular structures, with a low current attenuation constant of 0.1 Å(-1), which indicate that electron transfer is dominated by hopping. Moreover, the threshold voltage to field-emission dominated transport was found to increase with peptide length in a manner that depends on the nature of the contact with the electrodes. The flexibility in the design of the peptide monomers and the ability to control their sequential order over the nanotube by means of the layer-by-layer assembly process, which is demonstrated in this work, can be used to engineer the electronic properties of self-assembled peptide nanotubes toward device applications.

Self-assembly and self-replication of short amphiphilic β-sheet peptides

Most self-replicating peptide systems are made of α-helix forming sequences. However, it has been postulated that shorter and simpler peptides may also serve as templates for replication when arranged into well-defined structures. We describe here the design and characterization of new peptides that form soluble β-sheet aggregates that serve to significantly accelerate their ligation and self-replication. We then discuss the relevance of these phenomena to early molecular evolution, in light of additional functionality associated with β-sheet assemblies.

Effects of electrons on the shape of nanopores prepared by focused electron beam induced etching

The fabrication of nanometric pores with controlled size is important for applications such as single molecule detection. We have recently suggested the use of focused electron beam induced etching (FEBIE) for the preparation of such nanopores in silicon nitride membranes. The use of a scanning probe microscope as the electron beam source makes this technique comparably accessible, opening the way to widespread fabrication of nanopores. Since the shape of the nanopores is critically important for their performance, in this work we focus on its analysis and study the dependence of the nanopore shape on the electron beam acceleration voltage. We show that the nanopore adopts a funnel-like shape, with a central pore penetrating the entire membrane, surrounded by an extended shallow-etched region at the top of the membrane. While the internal nanopore size was found to depend on the electron acceleration voltage, the nanopore edges extended beyond the primary electron beam spot size due to long-range effects, such as radiolysis and diffusion. Moreover, the size of the peripheral-etched region was found to be less dependent on the acceleration voltage. We also found that chemical etching is the rate-limiting step of the process and is only slightly dependent on the acceleration voltage. Furthermore, due to the chemical etch process the chemical composition of the nanopore rims was found to maintain the bulk membrane composition.

Electrical performance of silicon-on-insulator field-effect transistors with multiple top-gate organic layers in electrolyte solution

The utilization of field-effect transistor (FET) devices in biosensing applications have been extensively studied in recent years. Qualitative and quantitative understanding of the contribution of the organic layers constructed on the device gate, and the electrolyte media, on the behavior of the device is thus crucial. In this work we analyze the contribution of different organic layers on the pH sensitivity, threshold voltage, and gain of a silicon-on-insulator based FET device. We further monitor how these properties change as function of the electrolyte screening length. Our results show that in addition to electrostatic effects, changes in the amphoteric nature of the surface also affect the device threshold voltage. These effects were found to be additive for the first (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane linker layer and second biotin receptor layer. For the top streptavidin protein layer, these two effects cancel each other. The number and nature of amphoteric groups on the surface, which changes upon the formation of the layers, was shown also to affect the pH sensitivity of the device. The pH sensitivity reduces with the construction of the first two layers. However, after the formation of the streptavidin protein layer, the protein's multiple charged side chains induce an increase in the sensitivity at low ionic strengths. Furthermore, the organic layers were found to influence the device gain due to their dielectric properties, reducing the gain with the successive construction of each layer. These results demonstrate the multilevel influence of organic layers on the behavior of the FET devices.

De novo designed coiled-coil proteins with variable conformations as components of molecular electronic devices

Conformational changes of proteins are widely used in nature for controlling cellular functions, including ligand binding, oligomerization, and catalysis. Despite the fact that different proteins and artificial peptides have been utilized as electron-transfer mediators in electronic devices, the unique propensity of proteins to switch between different conformations has not been used as a mechanism to control device properties and performance. Toward this aim, we have designed and prepared new dimeric coiled-coil proteins that adopt different conformations due to parallel or antiparallel relative orientations of their monomers. We show here that controlling the conformation of these proteins attached as monolayers to gold, which dictates the direction and magnitude of the molecular dipole relative to the surface, results in quantitative modulation of the gold work function. Furthermore, charge transport through the proteins as molecular bridges is controlled by the different protein conformations, producing either rectifying or ohmic-like behavior.

Bioassisted multi-nanoparticle patterning using single-layer peptide templates

Patterning of nanoparticles on solid substrates is one of the main challenges of current nanotechnology applications. The use of organic molecules as templates for the deposition of the nanoparticles makes it possible to utilize simple soft lithography techniques for patterning. Peptides appear to be powerful candidates for this job due to their versatility and design flexibility. In this work, we demonstrate the use of dual-affinity peptides, which bind both to the substrate and to the deposited nanoparticles, as single-layer linkers for the creation of multi-component nanoparticle patterns via microcontact printing processes. Controlled deposition and patterning of gold colloids or carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on silicon oxide surfaces and that of silicon oxide nanoparticles on gold surfaces have been achieved by the use of the corresponding dual-affinity peptides. Furthermore, patterning of both gold colloids and CNTs on a single substrate on predefined locations has been achieved. The suggested generic approach offers great flexibility by allowing binding of any material to a substrate of choice, provided that a peptide binding segment has been engineered for each of the inorganic components. Furthermore, the diversity of possible peptide sequences allows the formation of multi-component patterns, paving the way to fabricating complex functional structures based on peptide templates.

The controlled fabrication of nanopores by focused electron-beam-induced etching

The fabrication of nanometric holes within thin silicon-based membranes is of great importance for various nanotechnology applications. The preparation of such holes with accurate control over their size and shape is, thus, gaining a lot of interest. In this work we demonstrate the use of a focused electron-beam-induced etching (FEBIE) process as a promising tool for the fabrication of such nanopores in silicon nitride membranes and study the process parameters. The reduction of silicon nitride by the electron beam followed by chemical etching of the residual elemental silicon results in a linear dependence of pore diameter on electron beam exposure time, enabling accurate control of nanopore size in the range of 17-200 nm in diameter. An optimal pressure of 5.3 x 10(-6) Torr for the production of smaller pores with faster process rates, as a result of mass transport effects, was found. The pore formation process is also shown to be dependent on the details of the pulsed process cycle, which control the rate of the pore extension, and its minimal and maximal size. Our results suggest that the FEBIE process may play a key role in the fabrication of nanopores for future devices both in sensing and nano-electronics applications.

Design of self-assembling peptide nanotubes with delocalized electronic states

Redox-promoted self-assembly of an eight-residue cyclic D,L-α-peptide bearing four 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide (NDI) side chains results in the formation of electronically delocalized peptide nanotubes hundreds of nm in length. The supramolecular approach described provides a rational basis for the design and fabrication of 1-D materials with potential utility in optical and electronic devices.

Modulating charge transfer through cyclic D,L-alpha-peptide self-assembly

We describe a concise, solid support-based synthetic method for the preparation of cyclic d,l-alpha-peptides bearing 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic acid diimide (NDI) side chains. Studies of the structural and photoluminescence properties of these molecules in solution show that the hydrogen bond-directed self-assembly of the cyclic d,l-alpha-peptide backbone promotes intermolecular NDI excimer formation. The efficiency of NDI charge transfer in the resulting supramolecular assemblies is shown to depend on the length of the linker between the NDI and the peptide backbone, the distal NDI substituent, and the number of NDIs incorporated in a given structure. The design rationale and synthetic strategies described here should provide a basic blueprint for a series of self-assembling cyclic d,l-alpha-peptide nanotubes with interesting optical and electronic properties.