Molecular biomimetics is an emerging multidisciplinary science in which nature's molecular tools are combined with modem synthetic techniques in order to develop novel hybrid materials and/or to provide economically efficient, environmentally benign routes to the synthesis of compounds and polymers. The research reported here describes our recent progress in biosilicon chemistry through the use of both biocatalysts (i.e. enzymes) and novel biomimetic polymeric materials. For the first time, molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been utilized for catalytic and recognition/separation purposes with respect to organosilicon substrates. Recent collaborative work between Dow Coming and the Open University led to the first unambiguous example of biocatalysis at silicon during the cleavage and formation of siloxane bonds. In particular, the active site of trypsin, a proteolytic enzyme, was found to selectively catalyze the in vitro condensation of silanols.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:499455 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Abbate, Vincenzo |
| Publisher | Open University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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