▪ Abstract  Molecular biomimetics can be defined as mimicking function, synthesis, or structure of materials and systems at the molecular scale using biological pathways. Here, inorganic-binding polypeptides are used as molecular building blocks to control assembly and formation of functional inorganic and hybrid materials and systems for nano- and nanobiotechnology applications. These polypeptides are selected via phage or cell surface display technologies and modified by molecular biology to tailor their binding and multifunctionality properties. The potential of this approach in creating new materials systems with useful physical and biological properties is enormous. This mostly stems from molecular recognition and self-assembly characteristics of the polypeptides plus the added advantage of genetic manipulation of their composition and structure. In this review, we highlight the basic premises of molecular biomimetics, describe the approaches in selecting and engineering inorganic-binding polypeptides, and present examples of their utility as molecular linkers in current and future applications.

A new electrodeposition method for making porous ZnO layers with highly oriented and columnar morphology is reported here. A monolayer of dye is adsorbed onto the ZnO followed by electrodeposition of p‐type CuSCN to create a complete inner‐surface electrical contact, resulting in a bicontinuous‐network heterojunction (see Figure) to give a photovoltaic cell showing record conversion efficiency.

We have used the FliTrx cell surface display system to identify disulfide-constrained dodecapeptides binding to the semiconducting metal oxides Cu(2)O and ZnO. Sequence analysis of the inserts revealed that the two populations exhibit similar, yet subtly different patterns of amino acid usage. Both sets of binders were enriched in arginine, tryptophan, and glycine with a higher degree of positional preference in the case of Cu(2)O binders. Tyrosine, proline, and serine were underrepresented in both populations. Peptides binding electrodeposited Cu(2)O or ZnO with high avidity could be subdivided into two classes based on pI and hydrophilicity. In the hydrophilic and positively charged Class I binders, the Arg-X-X-Arg tetrapeptide appears to be implicated in metal oxide binding, whereas Arg-Arg and Arg-Lys pairs allow for discrimination between Cu(2)O and ZnO. Molecular dynamics simulations of the disulfide-constrained peptides suggest that the aforementioned motifs are important to properly orient two basic residues that are likely to contact the metal oxides. The implications of our results in understanding the rules governing the interaction between peptides and inorganic compounds and in their use for the design of hybrid nanoarchitectures are discussed.

A key need for dynamic single-cell measurements is the ability to gently position cells for repeated measurements without perturbing their behavior. We describe a new method that uses a gentle secondary flow to trap and suspend single cells, including motile cells, at predictable locations in 3-D. Trapped cells can be more dense or less dense than the surrounding medium. The cells are suspended without surface contact in one of four steady streaming eddies created by audible-frequency fluid oscillation (< or =1000 Hz) in a microchannel containing a single fixed cylinder (radius = 125 microm). Comparison of measured trap locations to computations of the eddy flow show that each trap is located near the eddy center, and the location is controlled via the oscillation frequency. We use the motile phytoplankton cell (Prorocentrum micans) to experimentally measure the trapping force, which is controlled via the oscillation amplitude. Trapping forces up to 30 pN are generated while exerting moderate shear stresses (shear stresses < or = 1.5 N/m2) on the trapped cell. The magnitude of this trapping force is comparable to that of optical tweezers or dielectrophoretic traps, without requiring an external field outside the physiological range for cells (the shear stresses are comparable to those found in arterial blood flow). The unique combination of predictable 3-D positioning, insensitivity to cell and medium properties, strong adjustable trapping forces, and a gentle fluid environment makes hydrodynamic tweezers a promising new option for noncontact trapping of single cells in suspension.