Design of hybrid nanocomposites for biocatalytic applications

• Research unit: COST
• Project number: C15.0024

Key words (English)

nanocomposite; titanate; polyelectrolyte; metal complex; enzyme mimic; hybrid materials; biocatalysis; aggregation; colloid stability; formulation

Research programs (English)

COST-Action CM1303 - Systems Biocatalysis

Short description (English)

One of the biggest challenges in bioinorganic chemistry is to mimic metalloenzymes by producing enzyme-like catalysts. This can be achieved by preparing coordination compounds that structurally and functionally mimic active centres of enzymes. Immobilization of these molecules is a promising and less investigated way towards nearly as efficient but less sensitive biocatalysts than the natural proteins. The main goal of the present project is to develop nanocatalysts with function similar to metalloenzymes. This will be accomplished by immobilization of enzyme mimicking coordination compounds (guest) in insoluble nanoparticulate supports (host) as follows. (i) Layered titanates and enzyme mimicking transition metal complexes with redox activity as well as their hybrid nanocomposites will be synthesized and characterized. (ii) Aggregation of the obtained host-guest materials will be tuned by polyelectrolytes to formulate the aqueous dispersions for the application step. (iii) The catalytic activities of the heterogeneous systems to be developed will be tested in enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, catalase and catecholase) assays. The foreseeable findings will have substantial impact in both fundamental and applied sciences. The expected results of the proposed research will lead to better understanding of these complicated systems containing metal complexes with biological activity immobilized in nanoparticulate supports and stabilized in aqueous dispersions.

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise: Université de Genève Département de chimie minérale et analytique Sciences II

Partners and International Organizations (English)

AT; BE; HR; CZ; DK; FI; FR; DE; EL; HU; IE; IL; IT; LT; NL; NO; PL; PT; RO; RS; SK; SI; ES; TR; UK

Abstract (English)

See short description

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. [phone] Swiss Project-Number: C15.0024