A nanomechanical device based on light-driven proton pumps.

Autor: Ren Q; State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, People's Republic of China., Zhao YP, Han L, Zhao HB
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nanotechnology [Nanotechnology] 2006 Mar 28; Vol. 17 (6), pp. 1778-85. Date of Electronic Publication: 2006 Mar 03.
DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/17/6/039
Abstrakt: In this paper, a hybrid device based on a microcantilever interfaced with bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is constructed. The microcantilever, on which the highly oriented bR film is self-assembled, undergoes controllable and reversible bending when the light-driven proton pump protein, bR, on the microcantilever surface is activated by visible light. Several control experiments are carried out to preclude the influence of heat and photothermal effects. It is shown that the nanomechanical motion is induced by the resulting gradient of protons, which are transported from the KCl solution on the cytoplasmic side of the bR film towards the extracellular side of the bR film. Along with a simple physical interpretation, the microfabricated cantilever interfaced with the organized molecular film of bR can simulate the natural machinery in converting solar energy to mechanical energy.
Databáze: MEDLINE