Nanowerk April 30, 2024
Electronically conductive protein-based materials can enable the creation of bioelectronic components and devices from sustainable and nontoxic materials, while also being well-suited to interface with biological systems for biosensor applications. However, as proteins are generally electrical insulators, the ability to render protein assemblies electroactive in a tailorable manner can usher in a plethora of useful materials. An international team of researchers (Australia, USA – UC Berkeley) developed a process to fabricate electronically conductive protein nanowires by aligning heme molecules in proximity along protein filaments, with the nanowires also possessing charge transfer abilities that enabled energy harvesting from ambient humidity. The heme-incorporated protein nanowires demonstrated electron transfer over micrometer distances with conductance comparable to other previously characterized heme-based bacterial nanowires. Exposure of multilayer nanowire films to humidity produced an electrical current and created an unbalanced total charge distribution that was enhanced by the heme. According to the researchers incorporation of heme and potentially other metal-center porphyrin molecules into protein nanostructures could pave the way for structurally- and electrically defined protein-based bioelectronic devices… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Structure of γPFD filaments and incorporation of heme to make conductive nanowires. Credit: Small, 10 April 2024