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in organic electronics [3,4]. The section closes with the introduction
of waveguides fabricated via self-assembly, based on covalent
interactions between chemically functionalized quantum dots
(QDs) and substrate surfaces. Even at an early stage of research,
these devices exhibit remarkable device characteristics in terms of
versatility and loss during light transmission, suggesting exciting
possibilities of self-assembly processes being employed in various
technical fields like biosensing, photonics, integrated circuit
technology, or large-scale electronics [5].
12.2.1
Material-Specific Binding of Genetically
Engineered Peptides
In nature, the formation of biological materials is regulated by
proteins, which direct nucleation, morphogenesis, and hard tissue
synthesis. Molecular recognition of inorganic substrates, and
self- or co-assembly of proteins with the latter constitute control
mechanisms for natural processes. Reproducing those pathways
for the creation of new materials via inorganic-recognizing proteins
or peptides is considered a promising step toward the precise
fabrication of biofunctional platforms, utilized in fields such as
biosensors or proteomics.
Genetic engineering makes it possible to produce peptides that
carry designed functionalities, such as material-specific binding.
Before applications can be developed for material-specific peptides,
however, it is necessary to understand their binding characteristics
to the target substrate. The primary parameters that determine a
peptide's binding behavior are its (thermodynamic) affinity to
the target material, as well as the (kinetic) rates of binding and
dissociation. In addition, it is crucial to know the cross-specificity,
i.e., the relative affinity to target substrate as compared to other
materials. The latter property is especially important for potential
utilization in multimaterial applications.
A quantitative analysis of the adsorption kinetics and surface
thermodynamics was carried out for a gold-binding peptide (GBP1),
selected from cell-surface-display library and genetically engineered
thereafter [1]. A quartz crystal microbalance (QZM) was used to
determine the differences in the absorption behavior of GBP1 onto
gold and platinum. A change in the frequency of the mechanical
crystal oscillator is related to the change in the mass on the crystal,
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