|
|
Creating wires atom by atom is one of the original goals of NanoTechnology, and several approaches have been used: atoms have been deposited one at a time or sprayed on as ions to a charged surface, templates and dies have made short wires, and conducting nanotubes have been constructed.
NanoWires constructed from biological molecules offer several important Advantages:
~ Custom cofactors can be synthesized to securely hold metals while allowing electrochemistry (electrical current) to occur.
~Custom proteins can be completely designed and synthesized to fold to desired shapes and hold the cofactor in the correct location.
I've had the opportunity through RET-Nano to synthesize components to assemble the Bio-NanoWire pictured above, and test the wire's conductivity.
The research focus page outlines the research I worked on, and the curriculum page is a lesson and lab built around the research.