Nanomechanics Lab at Duke University
This book, edited by Marcus Textor and Michelle Grandin will become
available soon at Wiley-VCH.
Check out Chapter 1: “Stimulus Responsive Polymers as Intelligent Coatings for Biosensors: Architectures, Response Mechanisms, and Applications”
Vinalia Tjong, Jianming Zhang, Ashutosh Chilkoti and Stefan Zauscher
The Triangle MRSEC is studying programmed assembly of soft matter, inventing materials that have never before existed and creating ways to use those materials.
Click here: http://mrsec.duke.edu/reu
REU Projects in the Zauscher Lab:
Many efforts have been made to advance new drug delivery system with optimal therapeutic activity while minimize negative side effect. Reversible micellar self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymer system is becoming an increasingly interesting candidate as a drug delivery vehicle. Here we develop novel block copolymer systems that consist of a polypeptide block with thermally reversible phase transition (Tt), and a hydrophilic, single stranded polydeoxynucleotide (ssPDN) block. The polypeptide block also serves as a macroinitiator for the enzymatic growth of the ssPDN block, using a template-independent polymerase –terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). This REU project will focus on the characterization of the resulting diblock copolymers and their self assembly behavior as a function of block molecular weight and temperature. Students will work in a team environment and will be trained in relevant characterization techniques such as static light scattering, AFM imaging, and small angle X-ray scattering.
To date, control over surface charge is largely achieved by chemical patterning and setting the solution pH and ionic strength. These approaches lead to relatively low lateral resolution and surfaces of usually fixed charge. We are currently developing a new approach in which the surface charge density can be switched and controlled with tens of nanometer lateral resolution. Such surfaces have significant promise for detection and sensing applications as they should 1) enable control over the conformation of proteins and polymers at interfaces, 2) enable control over the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity at the solid/liquid interface, 3) enable control over surface reactivity, and 4) enable the capture and release of drugs and other biological materials onto/from device surfaces. Our approach relies on the high surface charge density that can be achieved by imprinting local surface charge states into programmable ferroelectric thin films, such as lead zirconium titanate (PZT). This in turn can be harnessed for directing the localized self-assembly of biomacromolecules and colloidal particles on the surface. This research is materials science oriented and involves characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), AFM, and ferroelectric capacitance measurements. The project also entails the nanoscale encoding of the polarization of the ferroelectric film locally using the AFM and subsequent characterization of the surface charge pattern and its interaction with proteins, organic molecules and colloidal particles in the immediate vicinity of the surface.
Lecture: Design and Use of Surface-Tethered (Bio)Macromolecular Nanostructures for Nanomechanical Sensing and Novel Detection and Amplification Platforms
Program: http://www.cns.fas.harvard.edu/bioinspired/docs/program.pdf
In January 2012, Dr. Zauscher was promoted to Full Professor.
Please consider attending the 2012 Biointerface Science Gordon Research Conference (GRC). The GRC will be held in Les Diablerets, Switzerland, May 20-25, 2012.
http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2012&program=bioint
| PROGRAM (1) Responsive Bio-Interfaces (Sunday PM) |
| Discussion Leader: Atul Parikh (Chemical Engineering, UC Davis, USA) |
| Bo Liedberg (Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) |
| Brent S. Sumerlin (Chemistry, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, USA) |
| (2) Interfacial Architectures (Monday AM) |
| Discussion Leader: Ashutosh Chilkoti (Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, USA) |
| Curtis W. Frank (Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, USA) |
| Jürgen Rühe (Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Germany) |
| Jean-Pierre Majoral (Chemistry, CNRS, Toulouse, France) |
| (3) Modeling of Biointerfaces (Monday PM) |
| Discussion Leader: Michael Grunze (Physical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Germany) |
| Roland Netz (Physics, Free University of Berlin, Germany) |
| Yaroslava G. Yingling (Materials Science and Engineering, NC State University, Raleigh, USA) |
| (4) Nanoscopic Systems and Interfaces (Tuesday AM) |
| Discussion Leader: Uwe Sleytr (NanoBiotechnology, University of Natural Resources, Vienna, Austria) |
| Zhenan Bao (Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, USA) |
| Erik Reimhult (NanoBiotechnology, University of Natural Resources, Vienna, Austria) |
| Stefan Diez (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany) |
| (5) Bio-Active Interfaces (Tuesday PM) |
| Discussion Leader: Janos Vörös (Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland) |
| Gero Decher (Institut Charles Sadron, CNRS, Strasbourg, France) |
| Rigoberto Advincula (Chemistry, University of Houston, USA) |
| (6) Biointerfaces and Devices (Wednesday AM) |
| Discussion Leader: Robert Clark (School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Rochester, USA) |
| Sabine Szunerits (Chemistry, CNRS, University of Lille, France) |
| Catherine Klapperich (Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, USA) |
| Fabio Biscarini (Institute for Nanostructured Materials, Bologna, Italy) |
| (7) Membranes (Wednesday PM) |
| Discussion Leader: Steve Boxer (Chemistry, Stanford University, USA) |
| Steve Evans (Physics, University of Leeds, United Kingdom) |
| Alain Brisson (Biology, CNRS, University of Bordeaux, France) |
| (8) Cells and Cellular Structures I (Thursday AM) |
| Discussion Leader: Willi Jahnen-Dechent (Cell and Molecular Biology, RWTH Aachen, Germany) |
| Kevin Healy (Bioengineering, UC Berkeley, USA) |
| Kam Leong (Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, USA) |
| Horst Vogel (Physical Chemistry, EPF Lausanne, Switzerland) |
| (9) Cells and Cellular Structures II (Thursday PM) |
| Discussion Leader: Annette Brunsen (Chemistry, TU-Darmstadt, Germany) |
| Ali Miserez (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) |
| Dan Morse (Molecular Biology, UC Santa Barbara, USA) |
Robert Ferris, Benjamin Yellen and Stefan Zauscher
DOI: 10.1002/smll.201101173
Congratulations to Greg Hardy and Yee Lam, their paper on “Screening interactions between HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies and model lipid surfaces” was accepted for publication in the Journal of Immunological Methods.
Congratulations to Rob Ferris. The concept paper on “Ferroelectric Thin Films in Aqueous Environments: A New Interface for Sensing and Manipulation of Matter” was accepted for publication in the journal SMALL.
Lei will present her research at the 58th AVS International Symposium & Exhibition in Nashville, TN, October 28-November 4, 2011.
Congratulations!
