Dr. Yamasaki, Ryouta 

Presentation day

poster

 

TITLE

Coating of electrodes with self-organized HFBI membrane; structure and electrochemical properties

 

Abstract

Functionalization of solid material surface such as an electrode has been performed with
molecular modification. In such molecular modifications, a precisely designed molecular layer on an
electrode surface can provide superior properties. Some structural proteins can form precise structures at
air/water or water/solid interfaces by self-organization. These proteins can be used as molecular carriers for
the formation of precise molecular structures on electrode surfaces. Most functional molecules, including
proteins, immobilized on a solid surface cannot perform their original activity, because the immobilized
functional molecules oriented unevenly or their functions are deactivated. The use of a structural protein as
a molecular carrier can immobilize functional molecules while maintaining high activity.
HFBI is small fungal proteins that are highly surface active to form self-organized membrane. The structural
and electrochemical properties of self-organized HFBI membranes on electrodes were investigated. We are
trying to employ HFBI as a molecular carrier to fabricate accurate molecular layers on solid substrate
surfaces through the self-organization process. We have already shown that the HFBI can be tagged with
functional proteins, such as enzyme, by genetic function. In this case, enzyme catalytic activity showed to
improve. We also found that the HFBI membrane does not insulate the electrochemical reaction if the
electrode surface was coated with the membrane. However, deep discussion of the interface between
molecular phase and solid phase has not yet been done. In AFM investigations, HFBI self-organized
membrane forms precise ordered honeycomb structure on an electrode surface. The HFBI self-organized
membrane does not insulate an electron transfer between electrode and solution phase. All the results
shown that the HFBI can be utilized as molecular carrier to fabricate molecular interface on a solid
substrate such as an electrode.

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