Scientific Achievement
Foundry staff and users have created a new peptoid design that makes a protein-mimic capable of binding to multi-metallic molecules.
Significance and Impact
This method provides, for the first time, a simple way to build atomically defined, non-natural folded structures that can bind to multi-metallic clusters. The new method will enable researchers to develop biomimetic structures for solar-to-fuel catalysis and to engineer function into artificial structures.
Research Details
- There is great interest in creating simple mimics of enzymes used in catalysis, but they are difficult to design and synthesize due to their complex structure.
- The research team combined principles of inorganic ligand synthesis with biomimetic synthesis to design a simple peptoid chain that can wrap around and bind to a multi-metallic cluster.
- The researchers relied on combinatorial screening of peptoid libraries in combination with NMR structure determination and molecular dynamics simulations to make their discovery.
- The work addressed the most challenging step towards the creation of biomimetic catalytic enzymes and new modular approach that is efficient and provides a new general route for multimetallic chemistry.
