Engineering Functional Metal Nanocluster-Protein Architectures for Bio(sensing and catalytic) applications (ProNano4Bio)

The ability to tailor biological macromolecules continues to fascinate the scientific community since it brings broad and useful potential applications. Currently, most of the hybrid inorganic-biomolecules systems are based on metal nanoparticles (NPs) and self-assembled monolayer (SAM) modified electrodes as tools to assure the protein assembly and to support their absorption and electrical connection in solid phase. In particular, improved performances in terms of surface-active and enhanced electron transfer (ET) process were rationalized considering the gold NPs as relay for shuttling electrons between electrode and enzyme-active sites. Despite some interesting results, a clear understating of the correlation between properties and performances is still far from being achieved affecting the potentiality and application of these bio-hybrid architectures. ProNano4Bio aims at developing new generation of smart hybrid bionanomaterials, based on atomically precise metal NCs, to investigate in depth the structure-function relationship among metal nanostructures, biomolecules, and surfaces. The expected outcomes will allow going beyond the grossly averaging analysis related to the use of polydisperse larger nanomaterials, thereby paving the way for the developing of outperforming singlet-oxygen photosensitizers, bioelectrocatalysts, and biosensors. For these purposes, we will use a multidisciplinary approach which involves and integrates the consolidated and complementary expertise in electrochemistry, photochemistry, NCs synthesis, as well as biomolecules conjugation, and optical detection based on fibers of 4 established research units (RU-PD, RU-MO, RU-VE, and RU-CNR). Within this integrated collaborative network, we will exchange researchers and knowledge to fulfil our scientific vision, thus generating new and effective ways to exploit NCs-based bionanomaterials to impact not only at a scientific level, but also at an economic and societal one.