Lanthanide Binding Capabilities of Sequence-Controlled Block Co-polymers with Di(phenylalanine) (2023)

Undergraduate: Savannah Grizzard

Faculty Advisor: Abigail Knight
Department: Chemistry

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Synthetic polymers are versatile and useful materials due to the adaptability allowed in their design. For instance, while biopolymers such as proteins are highly selective for specific analyte binding and are highly structured, polymers can attempt to mimic these characteristics while also allowing greater diversity in monomer choice. Amphiphilic block copolymers can mimic protein structure and subsequently their ability to bind specific analytes. The relationship between the sequence of the blocks, the structure of the polymer, and ultimately their capability to bind to rare earth elements (REEs), specifically lanthanide ions, remains unknown. A library of compositionally identical amphiphilic block-copolymers containing an amyloid forming and hydrophobic di(phenylalanine) (FF) analogue were synthesized to explore the relationship between structure and REE binding. Through alternating hydrophobic FF and hydrophilic blocks and strategically placed functional binding monomers within the polymer, these materials are readily synthesized and their function has been analyzed through luminescence resonance energy transfer to quantify their binding capabilities.

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