Self-assembly refers to the organization of molecules into two- and three-dimensional structures based on non-bonding interactions.  Cell membranes are an example of this phenomenon in nature, as phospholipids are driven to form structures through hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions between phospholipids and the aqueous environment.  Similarly, molecule-molecule and molecule-surface interactions order molecular species on surfaces to form films.  Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are easily prepared and can be easily modified, making them ideal for creating interesting and technologically useful surface architectures for use in a variety of fields as diverse as molecular electronics and bio-related applications.My research has focused on fundamental and applied research on these self-assembling systems.  As a graduate student, I used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to characterize bi-component, SAMs formed through various deposition procedures to better understand the kinetic and thermodynamic influences on the ordering of these systems.  My research as a postdoctoral fellow has focused on the application of these films towards developing biological surfaces that will improve protein-substrate interactions.  Proteins are able to express catalytic and sensing functions that current technologies are unable to reproduce; proteins tend to lose function on inorganic surfaces due to unfolding, aggregation, and overall loss of structure that occurs when a soft, solution-phase material is placed in the harsh structural and electrostatic environment that occurs on and near non-biological surfaces.  In our group, we have developed a surface that is composed of peptides that can be tailored for specific and directed protein attachment.  The peptide-functionalized surface is created on an alkanethiol scaffold, attached via a Huisgen cycloaddtion reaction that tethers the peptide to reactive terminal groups on the monolayer.  We have incorporated a number of surface analysis techniques � vibrational spectroscopy, circular dichoism spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and STM � to characterize chemical composition, as well as peptide orientation, conformation, and spatial distribution.

Self-assembled monolayers:  A simple foundation for fundamental and applied studies

246th National Meeting (2013)

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