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| Photo: AG Jandt / FSU |
Jena. Materials scientists at the University of Jena create new biophotonic hybrid material. In nature, it takes place for billions of years: the self-assembly of molecules. arise from simple building blocks "such as saying" complex, ordered structures. The driving force for this phenomenon is physical in nature: to force the so-called van der Waals forces the molecules to arrange themselves. Materials scientists at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena are now using the self-organization abilities of molecules to produce the protein fibronectin nanofibers.
In the human body takes fibronectin perform a number of important functions: it serves as a "cementing substance" between body cells and plays a crucial role in blood clotting. "Even when tissue growth on implants is fibronectin, an important factor," explains Prof. Dr. Klaus D. Jandt by the Institute for Materials Science and Materials Technology (IMT), University of Jena. As the materials scientist and his team are now in the latest issue of British magazine "Soft Matter" report, they have managed to create extremely thin and long fibers of fibronectin protein and this when combined with so-called quantum dots to bring to light. The resulting new hybrid material is suitable for example, to visualize processes at interfaces between synthetic materials and living cells or as a building block for new implant materials, Prof. Jandt explained his interest in these new structures. The products manufactured by the Jena materials scientists fibers are only about two nanometers (two millionths of a millimeter) thick - the equivalent 25.000stel the thickness of a human hair. In their experiments the researchers were able for the first time the self-assembly of fibronectin into nanofibers observed in solution. In a subsequent step, they have changed so-called quantum dots so that these actions along the nanofibers tacking. These are tiny material structures made of semiconductors, for example, have defined the optical and electronic properties, and those used as probes. Just as the fibronectin nanofibers: irradiated with laser light to start the quantum dots light up, make the nanofibers indirectly visible. "Like a lighted street at night, which is observed from the plane," explains Prof. Jandt the phenomenon. "Our results underscore the high potential that these new biophotonic Hydbridmaterialien as a component in materials science and as photonic probes in biophysics.
Original publication:
Gang Wei, Thomas F. Keller, and Klaus D. Jandt Jiantao Zhang: Novel 1-D nano BioPhotonic hybrids: protein nanofibers meet quantum dots, Soft Matter 2011 DOI: 10.1039/c0sm01037e
The publication is read at:
http://pubs. rsc.org/en/Content/ArticlePDF/2011/SM/C0SM01037E
Source: idw
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