A Nanoporous Cytochrome c Film with Highly Ordered Porous Structure for Sensing of Toxic Vapors

Abstract

Creating well-ordered nanoporosity in biomolecules promises stability and activity, offering access to an even wider range of application possibilities. Here, the preparation of nanoporous protein films containing cytochrome c protein molecules is reported through a soft-templating strategy using polystyrene (PS) spheres of different sizes as templates. The stability of the cytochrome c film is demonstrated through electrochemistry studies to show a reusable nature of these films over a long period of time. The size of the PS spheres is varied to tune the pore diameter and the thickness of the cytochrome c films, which are quite stable and highly selective for sensing toxic acidic vapors. The fusion of the templating strategy and the self-assembly of biomolecules may offer various possibilities by generating a new series of porous biomolecules including enzymes with different molecular weights and diameters, peptides, antibodies, and DNA with interesting catalytic, adsorption, sensing, and electronic properties.

Self-assembly as a key player for materials nanoarchitectonics

“…This strategy includes high synthetic modularity to possibly generate protein-based crystalline materials. As another type of porous protein materials, Vinu and co-workers successfully synthesized nanoporous cytochrome c films using self-assembled polystyrene spheres as templates [212]. Electrochemical properties of cytochrome c were retained for long time.…”

Janus Mesoporous Sensor Devices for Simultaneous Multivariable Gases Detection

“…In this regard, mesoporous materials could offer a great advantage for constructing high-value gas sensors by virtue of their high surface areas, large pore volumes, and well-defined uniform mesopore channels. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] For instance, a variety of mesoporous semiconductors (such as WO 3 , 15 ZnO 2 , 16 and In 2 O 3 17 ) have recently been applied to realize better gas-sensor performances. Alternatively, ordered mesoporous carbon materials have also exhibited excellent properties in sensing NH 3 at a low temperature.…”

Materials Nanoarchitectonics for Mechanical Tools in Chemical and Biological Sensing

“…For the development of mechanical sensors as effective bioanalytical tools, biomaterial‐based and bioconcept‐oriented nanoarchitectonics becomes critically important. The coupling of nanostructures and biomaterials has been actively seen in recent research examples, such as mesoporous materials composed of cytochrome C protein molecules and alternately layered structures of 2D nanomaterials and DNA, which have already been used for sensing and biomaterial delivery applications. In addition, so‐called biofilms could offer good contributions to this field.…”

“…Regularly organized nanostructures may be advantageous for barrier-free diffusions of target molecules into sensing materials.A dditionally,b iomimetic structures, such as SLBs, on sensors urfaces offer excellent the ability to translate delicate biological events into sensing signals. For the development of mechanical sensors as effective bioanalytical tools, biomaterialbased and bioconcept-oriented nanoarchitectonics [89] becomes critically important.T he coupling of nanostructures and biomaterials has been actively seen in recent research examples, such as mesoporous materials composed of cytochrome Cp rotein molecules [90] and alternately layered structureso f2Dnanomaterials and DNA, [91] which have already been used for sensing and biomaterial delivery applications. In addition, so-called biofilms [92] could offer good contributions to this field.…”