(17a) The Design of Functional Nanostructured Materials

Interfacing nanoscale materials with bioactive molecules is important for the design of therapeutics, sensors, and functional composites. We have been investigating the structure and function of biological molecules immobilized onto nanoscale scaffolds such as carbon nanotubes. While it is well appreciated that interfacing biological molecules with nanomaterials can influence nanomaterial properties, we will describe how the nanoscale environment can in turn influence the activity and stability of adsorbed proteins. Furthermore, we will discuss the ability to remotely control the activity of proteins adsorbed onto carbon nanotubes. We will discuss the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon, and its use to design self-cleaning nanotube-based coatings as well as nanotube conjugates that selectively destroy a target toxin from a mixture of proteins. Functionalization with biomolecules also provides a method for controlling the assembly of nanomaterials. We will also discuss these and other approaches for organizing nanomaterials into macroscopic structures.