Abstract
The size and morphology of metal oxide particles have a large impact on the physicochemical properties of these materials, e.g., the aspect ratio of particles affects their catalytic activity. Bioinspired synthesis routes give the opportunity to control precisely the structure and aspect ratio of the metal oxide particles by bioorganic molecules, such as peptides. This study focusses on the identification of tin(II) oxide (tin monoxide, SnO) binding peptides, and their effect on the synthesis of crystalline SnO microstructures. The phage display technique was used to identify the 7-mer peptide SnBP01 (LPPWKLK), which shows a high binding affinity towards crystalline SnO. It was found that the derivatives of the SnBP01 peptide, varying in peptide length and thus in their interaction, significantly affect the aspect ratio and the size dimension of mineralized SnO particles, resulting in flower-like morphology. Furthermore, the important role of the N-terminal leucine residue in the peptide for the strong organic–inorganic interaction was revealed by FTIR investigations. This bioinspired approach shows a facile procedure for the detailed investigation of peptide-to-metal oxide interactions, as well as an easy method for the controlled synthesis of tin(II) oxide particles with different morphologies.
Highlights
Environmental issues are in the focus of society and politics
This bioinspired approach shows a facile procedure for the detailed investigation of peptide-to-metal oxide interactions, as well as an easy method for the controlled synthesis of tin(II)
Inorganic-binding peptides play an important role in the control of the crystal formation
Summary
Environmental issues are in the focus of society and politics. To face these questions, materials with tailored morphologies for high functionality in alternative energy storage and generation are needed.Tetragonal tin(II) oxide (tin monoxide, SnO) is, due to its excellent electrical, physicochemical, and optical properties, highly interesting for applications as a p-type semiconductor [1], electrode material for lithium-ion batteries [2], or as a catalyst [3,4] for various organic reactions, e.g., trans-/esterification for the synthesis of bio-diesel. Environmental issues are in the focus of society and politics. To face these questions, materials with tailored morphologies for high functionality in alternative energy storage and generation are needed. Gas-phase and solution-based methods, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [10] or hydrothermal synthesis [11,12] have, been established. In these processes, the reaction is controlled mainly by temperature, pressure, pH value, or concentration of the reactants
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