The membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin in its native membrane bound form (purple membrane) was adsorbed and incorporated into polyelectrolyte multilayered films, and adsorption was in situ monitored by optical waveguide light- mode spectroscopy. The formation of a single layer or a double layer of purple membranes was observed when adsorbed on negatively or positively charged surfaces, respectively. The purple membrane patches adsorbed on the polyelectrolyte multilayers were also evidenced by atomic force microscopy images. The driving forces of the adsorption process were evaluated by varying the ionic strength of the solution as well as the purple membrane concentration. At high purple membrane concentration, interpenetrating polyelectrolyte loops might provide new binding sites for the adsorption of a second layer of purple membranes, whereas at lower concentrations only a single layer is formed. Negative surfaces do not promote a second protein layer adsorption. Driving forces other than just electrostatic ones, such as hydrophobic forces, should play a role in the polyelectrolyte/purple membrane layering. The subtle interplay of all these factors determines the formation of the polyelectrolyte/purple membrane matrix with a presumably high degree of orientation for the incorporated purple membranes, with their cytoplasmic, or extracellular side toward the bulk on negatively or positively charged polyelectrolyte, respectively. The structural stability of bacteriorhodopsin during adsorption onto the surface and incorporation into the polyelectrolyte multilayers was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectro-scopy in attenuated total reflection mode. Adsorption and incorporation of purple membranes within polyelectrolyte multilayers does not disturb the conformational majority of membrane-embedded R-helix structures of the protein, but may slightly alter the structure of the extramembraneous segments or their interaction with the environment. This high stability is different from the lower stability of the predominantly β-sheet structures of numerous globular proteins when adsorbed onto surfaces.

Functionalization of semiconductors constitutes a crucial step in using these materials for various electronic, photonic, biomedical, and sensing applications. Within the various possible approaches, selection of materialbinding biomolecules from a random biological library, based on the natural recognition of proteins or peptides toward specific material, offers many advantages, most notably biocompatibility. Here we report on the selective functionalization of GaN, an important semiconductor that has found broad uses in the past decade due to its efficient electroluminescence and pronounced chemical stability. A 12-mer peptide (“GaN_probe”) with specific recognition for GaN has evolved. The subtle interplay of mostly nonpolar hydrophobic and some polar amino acidic residues defines the high affinity adhesion properties of the peptide. The interaction forces between the peptide and GaN are quantified, and the hydrophobic domain of the GaN_probe is identified as primordial for the binding specificity. These nanosized binding blocks are further used for controlled placement of biotin-streptavidin complexes on the GaN surface. Thus, the controlled grow of a new, patterned inorganic-organic hybrid material is achieved. Tailoring of GaN by biological molecules can lead to a new class of nanostructured semiconductor-based devices.

Porous silicon (PSi) structure is used as support material to detect protein infiltration and to induce fluorescence and second harmonic light enhancement from glucose oxidase (GOX). Functionalization and protein infiltration is monitored by specular reflectometry. Optical response enhancement of PSi microcavity structures compared to PSi single layers or Bragg mirrors is observed, when GOX is impregnated. Penetration of organic molecules along the PSi microcavity structure is demonstrated by energy dispersive X-ray profile. Enhanced fluorescence emission of GOX when adsorbed on PSi microcavity is evidenced by multi-photon microscopy (MPM). Second harmonic light generation is observed at some particular pores of PSi and subsequent resonance enhancement of the signal arising from the GOX adsorbed within the pores is detected. Our work evidences an improved device functionality of GOX-PSi microcavities due to strongly confined and localized light emission within these structures. This opens the way towards the application of PSi microcavity structures as amended biosensors based on their locally enhanced optical response. The second main achievement lies in the novelty of the used techniques. In contrast to the specular reflectometry used to monitor the macroscopic optical response of PSi structures, MPM presents a valuable alternative microscopic technique probing individual pores.

Porous silicon (PSi) nanostructures have remarkable optical properties that can be used for biosensing applications. In this paper we report first on the fabrication of heavily doped p-type PSi with pore diameters in the range of 400-4000 nm. The nonspecific and specific binding of the Glucose Oxidase protein (GOX) was then studied onto the PSi mirror-like substrate. Adsorption of GOX was tuned by the pH of the protein solution (pI = 4.2) depending of the surface charge. PSi matrixes were first stabilized by thermal oxidation and GOX adsorption was performed once directly on the oxidized PSi surface, and also on previously functionalized PSI surfaces. In the latter case the GOX was coupled to the PSi via the S-H group of the 3-(mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTS). The silane-GOX and GOX interactions on the PSi surface were monitored by the Fourier Transformed Infrared spectra that display characteristic bands of the linked molecules. The interference spectrum shows a large blue shift in the Fabry- Perot interference pattern caused by the change in the refractive index of the medium implying a decrease in the effective optical thickness. Quantitative analysis shows that chemically modified PSi samples admit approximately 24% of GOX. Activity assay proved that the protein preserves its catalyst properties under these adsorption conditions.

Functionalization of semiconductors (SC) has been widely used for various electronic, photonic and biomedical applications. In this paper, we report on selective functionalization achieved by peptides that reveal specific recognition of the SC surfaces. A M13 bacteriophage library was used to screen 101() different 12-mer peptide on various SC substrates to successfully isolate after 3 cycles one specific peptide for the majority of semiconductors. Our results conclude that GaAs(100) and GaN(0001) retain the same sequence of 12-mer peptide, suggesting that the specificity does not depend on the crystallographic structure but it depends on the chemical composition and the electronegativity of the surface, thus on the orientation of the material. We also note the presence of at least one proline (Pro) amino acid in each peptide, and the presence of the histidine (His) in the specific peptides for the II-VI class SC. Pro imprints a constraint to the peptide to facilitate adhesion to the surface, whereas the basic side chain His is known for its affinity towards some of the elements of class II SC. Finally, fluorescence microscopy has been employed to demonstrate the preferential attachment of the peptide to their specific SC surface in close proximity to a surface of different chemical and structural composition. The use of selected peptides expressed by phage display can be extended to encompass a variety of nanostructured semiconductor based devices.

We have applied optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy combined with streaming potential measurements and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy to investigate adsorption of amelogenin nanospheres onto polyelectrolytes. The long-term objective was to better understand the chemical nature of these assemblies and to gain further insight into the molecular mechanisms involved during self-assembly. It was found that monolayers of monomers and negatively charged nanospheres of a recombinant amelogenin (rM179) irreversibly adsorbed onto a positively charged polyelectrolyte multilayer films. On the basis of measurements performed at different temperatures, it was demonstrated that intermolecular interactions for the formation of nanospheres were not affected by their adsorption onto polyelectrolytes. Consecutive adsorption of nanospheres resulting in the formation of multilayer structures was possible by using cationic poly((L)-lysine) as mediators. N-Acetyl-(D)-glucosamine (GlcNac) did not disturb the nanosphere-assembled protein's structure, and it only affected the adsorption of monomeric amelogenin. Infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed amelogenin revealed conformational differences between the monomeric and assembled forms of rM179. While there was a considerable amount of alpha-helices in the monomers, beta-turn and beta-sheet structures dominated the assembled proteins. Our work constitutes the first report on a structurally controlled in vitro buildup of an rM179 nanosphere monolayer-based matrix. Our data support the notion that amelogenin self-assembly is mostly driven by hydrophobic interactions and that amelogenin/PEM interactions are dominated by electrostatic forces. We suggest that similar forces can govern amelogenin interactions with non-amelogenins or the mineral phase during enamel biomineralization.