Scientists at the Institute for Molecular Science of the University of Valencia (ICMol) make a step forward in their research around the so-called ‘metal-organic frameworks” (MOFs) and metal-organic networks. These are unique compounds of great chemical richness that, thanks to the versatility of its components, find applications in very diverse fields of Chemistry and Material Science.
The molecular porous materials are studied by many research groups worldwide. Among these compounds, allowing the introduction of molecules through the cavities of their structure, the so-called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and metal-organic networks possess a great chemical richness due to its modular nature. Their ability to exhibit permanent porosity and the amount of variations that allow their components are factors that facilitate the development of new materials with applications in many different fields of Material Science, such as gas storage and separation, catalysis, sensors, magnetism, optics and biomedical applications.
Carlos Martí-Gastaldo, Ramón y Cajal researcher at the Institute for Molecular Science – at the Science Park of the University of Valencia- has just published in Nature Chemistry the description of a new mechanism to control the porosity in MOFs. The article shows that selective modification of amino acids (essential units of proteins) in peptides (chains of amino acids), and its incorporation into metal-organic networks, allows to modulate the porosity and structural response of the network against molecules in these porous materials.
The introduction of amino acids, such as the serine, in certain molecular compounds - specifically with dipeptide with Gly-X- sequence, is essential to control the dynamic response of these networks based on peptides. The difference compared to other porosity modulating mechanisms in MOFs is related to the cooperative closing of pores before the introduction of specific amino acids. This type of control over the porosity reminds simple mutations in proteins, where a single amino acid change can alter their structure and biological function.
These results, which derive from his recent work with Professor Matthew J. Rosseinsky of the University of Liverpool, open the doors to the development of more complex systems to access to porous materials of interest in asymmetric catalysis, an area of notorious importance in Chemistry which contributes, for instance, to the preparation of more efficient and secure drugs.
Carlos Martí-Gastaldo has joined the ICMol as a Ramón y Cajal researcher after his experience at the University of Liverpool as a Marie Curie researcher (2010-2012) and URF Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2013-2014). His work is multidisciplinary and covers various fields in Chemistry and Material Science. Among his research results, it highlights the design of multifunctional hybrid materials or the development of biomimetic MOFs based on peptides. His work has been published in leading scientific journals such as Nature Chemistry, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Journal of the American Chemical Society or Advanced Materials, and has been recognized with awards such as the Suschem Postdoc in 2011.
C. Martí-Gastaldo, D. Antypov, J. E. Warren, M. E. Briggs, P. A. Chater, P. V. Wiper, G. J. Miller, Y. Z. Khimyak, G. R. Darling, N. G. Berry & M. J. Rosseinsky ‘Side-chain control of porosity closure in single-and multiple-peptide-based porous materials by cooperative folding’. Nature Chem. 6, 343–351 (2014)
Last update: 7 de april de 2014 11:47.
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