Functionalised silica materials

People working with me on this project at CRMN: S. Medina-Gomez (post-doc), T. Le Marchand (IR CNRS).

Collaborators: Pr. D. Lalli (Univ. Piemente Orientale, IT), Dr. L. Andreas (MPI Göttingen), Dr. M. Idso, Dr. H. Gawk and Pr. B. Chmelka (UC Santa Barbara, CA).

This collaboration focuses on the development and molecular characterization of nanostructured silica materials functionalized to encapsulate light-sensitive membrane proteins, specifically proteorhodopsin. This protein, when stabilized in silica host membranes, holds great promise for applications in solar-activated devices such as fuel cells, batteries, and supercapacitors. Our research aims to use solid-state NMR with fast MAS to measure, understand, and optimize the molecular environments of proteorhodopsin within these silica matrices. Gaining detailed insight into the structure and interactions of proteorhodopsin at the molecular level will inform strategies to enhance solar-to-electrochemical energy conversion properties, advancing the design of more efficient and sustainable energy devices.