INTELLECTUAL MERIT: Nature has provided organisms with the ability to produce intricate architectural nanostructures of unique and specific compositions. In some cases, preparation of these structures is mediated by peptides that can nucleate, grow, and passivate nanostructures with high specific control over the composition. In order to mimic these natural processes in the laboratory, scientists have isolated peptides from biological organisms and have also prepared them by synthetic combinatorial methods. The latter strategies are promising as they mimic biological methods; however, the degree of functionality of these biomimetic materials, and their structure/function relationship, is not well understood. The goal of this proposal is to develop biomimetic methods for the production of complex functional materials. The first objective is to explore the shape-based synthetic capabilities of peptides. The PI will employ the self-assembling R5 peptide of diatoms implicated in the biosilicification process to template the fabrication of non-spherical Pd nanomaterials. The second objective focuses on the catalytic activity of these structures in which the inorganic components are likely to be encapsulated within the peptide framework, which may act as a selective gate for catalytic reactivity. The final objective explores the conversion of these materials to heterogeneous systems. By attaching the materials on carbon nanotubes (CNT), the composites could be used for facile separation of the catalysts as well as structures to probe the catalytic mechanism.
BROADER IMPACTS: The PI will work to improve the retention rate of Chemistry students at the University of Kentucky using science based cinema as a method to capture student interest and attention. Retention is of significant concern in the Chemistry Department, where retention rates fall below the University average. The principal reasons for low student retention are thought to be large class sizes that lead to an impersonal atmosphere. For Chemistry majors a substantial portion of their instruction during their first two years within the program is in large lecture classes. To help counteract this problem, the PI proposes to develop a Chemistry Department cinema series designed to stimulate interactions between students at all levels with Chemistry faculty. The PI is the faculty advisor for the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society. In the context of the Affiliates meetings, films will be presented that address current scientific issues and issues of science policy. Following each such presentation an open forum will be held, led by experts in the topic areas of the film. It is hoped through this activity to engage the students in thinking about the scientific issues involved and the importance of science in society and to increase the students' awareness of the opportunities that pursuit of the Chemistry major can open to them. At the same time, the students will become better acquainted with the wide range of faculty, research opportunities, and other resources available to them on the campus.
