Co-sponsored by The Nanostructures Lab, The Tiny Tech Club and Techlink. 

Evolving Biomolecular Control and Assembly of Semiconductor and Magnetic Nanostructures

Professor Angela Belcher

MIT - John Chipman Career Development Associate Professor of Materials Science (BED)

Faculty Director  of the Biomolecular Materials Group

Background Papers for Talk & References for More Information: 

1. Whaley, S.R., English, D.S., Hu, E.L., Barbara, P.F. and Belcher, A. M. Selection of peptides with semiconductor binding specificity for directed nanocrystal assembly. Nature 405, 665-8 (2000).

2. Lee, S. W., Mao, C., Flynn, C. E. & Belcher, A. M. Ordering of quantum dots using genetically engineered viruses. Science 296, 892-5 (2002).

3. Lee, S.W., Wood, B.M., and Belcher, A.M. Chiral Smectic C Structures of Virus-Based Films. Langmiur 19, 1592-8 (2003).
   

4. Lee, S.W., Lee, S.K., and Belcher, A.M. Virus Based Alignment of Inorganic, Organic, and Biological Nano-sized Materials. Advanced Materials, in press (2003).
   

5. Whaley, S.R., and Belcher, A. M. Borrowing Ideas from Nature: Peptide Specific Binding to Gallium Arsenide, MRS Proceedings v. 599, 189-199 (2000).

 Biological systems have a unique ability to control crystal structure, phase, orientation and nanostructural regularity of inorganic materials. We are currently investigating the principles of natural biological molecular recognition in materials and developing new methods to pattern useful non-biological electronic and magnetic materials on new length scales. A peptide combinatorial approach has been employed to identify proteins that select for and specifically bind to inorganic structures such as semiconductor wafers and semiconductor and magnetic nanoparticles. This approach utilizes the inherent self-organizing, highly selective properties of biologically derived molecules.  We are currently investigating peptide recognition and interaction with III-V and II-VI semiconductor materials and magnetic materials including Fe₃O₄, Co, FePt and CoPt.  We have selected peptides that can specifically bind to and discriminate zinc-blende III-V semiconductor surfaces.  These peptides show crystal face specificity and are being used to organize nanoparticle heterostructures.  We have also selected peptides that can nucleate and control phase, particle diameter and aspect ratio of semiconductor and magnetic nanoparticles.  These peptides are being used to grow nanoparticles and nanowires of specific crystallographic structure and orientation.  Using these molecular interactions and specific nanoparticles, we are organizing organic/inorganic hybrid materials into supramolecular architectures. 

Prof. Angela Belcher is a materials chemist with expertise in the fields of biomaterials, biomolecular materials, organic-inorganic interfaces and solid state chemistry. The focus of Prof.. Belcher’s research is understanding and using the process by which Nature makes materials in order to design novel hybrid organic-inorganic electronic and magnetic materials on new length scales. Her research is very interdisciplinary in nature and brings together the fields of inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and electrical engineering. Among her awards are the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (2000), and the Du Pont Young Investigators Award (1999). Her research was mentioned in a July 2001 Forbes magazine cover story on nanotechnology.

jpacheco@mit.edu ©2003 Massachusetts Institute of Technology