The Production of Short Titania Nanotubes and their Interaction with the Globular Protein Lysozyme (2010)

Undergraduates: Michael Woody, Jacob Forstater

Faculty Advisor: Yue Wu
Department: Physics & Astronomy

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Titanium dioxide nanotubes have been produced and studied for their unique surface chemistry, structure, and various applications including drug delivery mechanisms, photocatalysis, and chemical warfare agent decontamination. The tubes have also been shorted through a mechanical process from approximately 1000 nm to 100-150 nm in order to produce more uniform films and liquid suspensions. In order to begin investigating the biocompatibility of these short titanium nanotubes (STiNT), we have examined the interaction between the model protein lysozyme and STiNT by allowing them to mix under ambient conditions for several days. The amount of bound protein was first determined using a dye based assay known as the Bradford assay, which we found to be unreliable for determining lysozyme concentrations. A fluorescence assay was then used to find that monolayer coverage occurred at neutral conditions. This was verified by High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. Investigations into the effects of salinity and pH are in progress as well as further studies of the structure of the protein after interaction with the nanotubes.