Harnessing proteins for polymer synthesis, nanoreactors and force-responsive materials
Event details
| Date | 17.07.2015 |
| Hour | 13:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Nico Bruns, University of Fribourg |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Materials science and biochemistry have long been considered two separated realms of research with little overlap. However, in recent years it has become apparent that an interdisciplinary approach combining polymer chemistry and protein science is creating new opportunities to design and realize multifunctional (nano)materials, as well as to support the environmentally friendly synthesis of polymers.
The talk will exemplify the current research results of the Bruns group. The discovery that the proteins horseradish peroxidase and hemoglobin possess ATRPase activity will be presented, i.e. their ability to catalyze atom transfer radical polymerizations (ATRP). Moreover, the thermosome, a protein cage from the family of chaperonins, will be introduced as nanoreactors for ATRP, which allows the synthesis of narrowly dispersed polymers in aqueous solution.
Last but not least, fluorescent proteins will be discussed as mechanically responsive molecular sensors that report on micro-scale damage within fiber-reinforced composites.
Bio: Nico Bruns is Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry at the Adolphe Merkle Institute of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
He studied chemistry at the Universities of Freiburg (Germany) and Edinburgh (Scotland) and graduated from the University of Freiburg as Diplom-Chemiker in 2003. He received his Ph.D. from the same University in 2007 under the supervision of Prof. Jörg Tiller and Prof. Rolf Mülhaupt. His PhD thesis in polymer chemistry focused on nanostructured polymer networks as catalyst-carriers for enzymes.
From 2007 to 2008 he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, working with Prof. Douglas S. Clark in the field of bionanotechnology. He then joined the University of Basel, Switzerland, where he led a research group as Habilitand from 2008 to 2013. He received a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation, a Marie Curie Fellowship, a Holcim Stiftung Wissen Fellowship, as well as the Pfizer Research Award for Young Scientists.
In 2013 he was awarded a Swiss National Science Foundation Professorship, which enabled him to take up his current position. His research interests include enzyme-catalyzed controlled/living radical polymerizations (ATRPases), protein cages and polymersomes as nanoreactors, and polymer-protein hybrid materials with the capability to self-report damage.
The talk will exemplify the current research results of the Bruns group. The discovery that the proteins horseradish peroxidase and hemoglobin possess ATRPase activity will be presented, i.e. their ability to catalyze atom transfer radical polymerizations (ATRP). Moreover, the thermosome, a protein cage from the family of chaperonins, will be introduced as nanoreactors for ATRP, which allows the synthesis of narrowly dispersed polymers in aqueous solution.
Last but not least, fluorescent proteins will be discussed as mechanically responsive molecular sensors that report on micro-scale damage within fiber-reinforced composites.
Bio: Nico Bruns is Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry at the Adolphe Merkle Institute of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
He studied chemistry at the Universities of Freiburg (Germany) and Edinburgh (Scotland) and graduated from the University of Freiburg as Diplom-Chemiker in 2003. He received his Ph.D. from the same University in 2007 under the supervision of Prof. Jörg Tiller and Prof. Rolf Mülhaupt. His PhD thesis in polymer chemistry focused on nanostructured polymer networks as catalyst-carriers for enzymes.
From 2007 to 2008 he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, working with Prof. Douglas S. Clark in the field of bionanotechnology. He then joined the University of Basel, Switzerland, where he led a research group as Habilitand from 2008 to 2013. He received a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation, a Marie Curie Fellowship, a Holcim Stiftung Wissen Fellowship, as well as the Pfizer Research Award for Young Scientists.
In 2013 he was awarded a Swiss National Science Foundation Professorship, which enabled him to take up his current position. His research interests include enzyme-catalyzed controlled/living radical polymerizations (ATRPases), protein cages and polymersomes as nanoreactors, and polymer-protein hybrid materials with the capability to self-report damage.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- SUNMIL
Contact
- Emma-Rose Janecek <[email protected]>