title: Surface chemical functionalization of single walled carbon nanotubes with a bacteriorhodopsin mutant.
abstract: In this work, single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been chemically functionalized at their walls with a membrane protein, namely the mutated bacteriorhodopsin D96N, integrated in its native archaeal lipid membrane. The modification of the SWNT walls with the mutant has been carried out in different buffer solutions, at pH 5, 7.5 and 9, to investigate the anchoring process, the typical chemical and physical properties of the component materials being dependent on the pH. The SWNTs modified by interactions with bacteriorhodopsin membrane patches have been characterized by UV-vis steady state, Raman and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and by atomic force and transmission electron microscopy. The investigation shows that the membrane protein patches wrap the carbon walls by tight chemical interactions undergoing a conformational change; such chemical interactions increase the mechanical strength of the SWNTs and promote charge transfers which p-dope the nano-objects. The functionalization, as well as the SWNT doping, is favoured in acid and basic buffer conditions; such buffers make the nanotube walls more reactive, thus catalysing the anchoring of the membrane protein. The direct electron communication among the materials can be exploited for effectively interfacing the transport properties of carbon nanotubes with both molecular recognition capability and photoactivity of the cell membrane for sensing and photoconversion applications upon integration of the achieved hybrid materials in sensors or photovoltaic devices.
authors.affiliation: CNR-IMM, Via per Monteroni, Campus Universitario, Palazzina A3, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ingrosso
authors.forename: Giuseppe Valerio
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lopalco
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamborra
authors.forename: Maria Lucia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Curri
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corcelli
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agostiano
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siciliano
authors.forename: Marinella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Striccoli
mesh_terms: D001436:Bacteriorhodopsins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019617:Halobacterium salinarum / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009154:Mutation; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D001436:Bacteriorhodopsins