New strategies are requested for the preparation of bioinspired host-guest complexes to be employed in technologically relevant applications, as sensors and optoelectronic devices. We report here a new approach employing a single monomeric protein as host for the strongly fluorescent rhodamine dye. The selected protein, belonging to the intracellular lipid binding protein family, fully encapsulates one rhodamine molecule inside its cavity forming a host-guest complex stabilized by H and π-hydrogen bonds, a salt bridge, and favorable hydrophobic contacts, as revealed by the NMR derived structural model. The protein-dye solutions are easily processable and form homogeneous thin films exhibiting excellent photophysical and morphological properties, as derived from photoluminescence and AFM data. The obtained results represent the proof of concept of the viability of this bio host-guest system for the development of bioinspired optoelectronic devices
Tomaselli, S., Giovanella, U., Pagano, K., Leone, G., Zanzoni, S., Assfalg, M., et al. (2013). Encapsulation of a Rhodamine Dye within a Bile Acid Binding Protein: Toward Water Processable Functional Bio Host–Guest Materials. BIOMACROMOLECULES, 14(10), 3549-3556 [10.1021/bm400904s].
Encapsulation of a Rhodamine Dye within a Bile Acid Binding Protein: Toward Water Processable Functional Bio Host–Guest Materials
MEINARDI, FRANCESCO;
2013
Abstract
New strategies are requested for the preparation of bioinspired host-guest complexes to be employed in technologically relevant applications, as sensors and optoelectronic devices. We report here a new approach employing a single monomeric protein as host for the strongly fluorescent rhodamine dye. The selected protein, belonging to the intracellular lipid binding protein family, fully encapsulates one rhodamine molecule inside its cavity forming a host-guest complex stabilized by H and π-hydrogen bonds, a salt bridge, and favorable hydrophobic contacts, as revealed by the NMR derived structural model. The protein-dye solutions are easily processable and form homogeneous thin films exhibiting excellent photophysical and morphological properties, as derived from photoluminescence and AFM data. The obtained results represent the proof of concept of the viability of this bio host-guest system for the development of bioinspired optoelectronic devicesI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.