Biotemplates for obtaining of microtubes capped by gold covered silica nanoparticles.

• Grant number: 12/14642-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal researcher: Emerson Rodrigues de Camargo
• Grantee: Amanda Donatti
• Home Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recently, several studies showed that it is possible to obtain materials with complex structures exhibiting optical and catalytic properties of technological interest employing macromolecules as templates for self-organization of functional nanoparticles. Considering the technological potential and scientific challenges involved, the use of biotemplates for hybrids materials preparations has been little explored. From the observed results in preliminaries experiments performed in our Research Group, this Proposal has the objective to understand and increase the use of fungi as alive biotemplates to obtainment a hybrid materials formed by microtubes built block-to-block with inorganic colloidal nanoparticles of silica coated with gold. There are several questions that remain open about the type of interaction between nanoparticles and cell walls, for instance what leads the first layer formation and about which forces are still acting to form the successive layers. In this study, microtubes with controlled morphologic characteristics will be prepared from deposition of colloidal silica nanoparticles coated with gold over a fungus (Penicillium brasilianum). After that, this material will be submitted to thermal or chemical treatment to eliminate the biological structure and it will be characterized about its structure and organization aiming its future like support to construction of sensor devices.