(A*STAR PROGRAMME) Large-Area Nanolithography for the Development of Bioelectrocatalytic Systems

University of Manchester Supervisors: Dr Lu Shin Wong, Dr Peter Quale, Dr Chris Blanford. A*STAR Supervisor: Karen Chong (IMRE).

Bridging the worlds of biology and electronics represents a frontier area of research and promises to impact on a diverse range of applications in sensing, energy conversion, computing and catalysis. Central to many of these applications are the electrochemical cells that interconvert electrical and chemical energy. For example, fuel cells and batteries employ a chemical fuel and oxidant to drive an external electronic circuit, while amperometric sensors rely on the measurement of current generated by an electrochemical reaction with an analyte. In many of these applications, the use of enzymes as catalysts on the electrode is an attractive proposition since they enable a high turnover of substrates and current, with an inherent environmental sustainability stemming from their ability to promote reactions under mild conditions (near-neutral pH, ambient temperatures and pressures). Further, the selectivity of enzymes for only their substrates means that mixtures of impure (“dirty”) feedstocks or fuels can be employed and there is no need to physically separate the oxidant and reductant.

In order to use such enzyme-catalysed electrodes in practical applications, methods for their production at the large scale (surface areas of 100’s cm2), while maintaining high enzyme activity, are crucial. This multidisciplinary project will therefore aim to develop such production processes, by use of state-of-the-art surface and bioconjugate chemistry (for protein attachment), scanning-probe and nanoimprint lithography (for generation of the enzyme-functionalised electrodes), and electrochemistry (for the characterisation of electrode performance); as well as the analytical techniques related to these areas.

Thus, the student will thus be trained in a wide variety of areas in core bioscience skills including molecular biology, bioconjugate chemistry, surface science, and nanofabrication – underpinning skills that are critical for the industrial biotechnology sector.