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Kholkin, Andrei L.
Preferred name
Kholkin, Andrei L.
Official Name
Kholkin, Andrei L.
Research Output
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- PublicationWettability gradient-induced alignment of peptide nanotubes as templates for biosensing applications(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016)
; ; ; ; ; Self-assembled diphenylalanine (FF) peptide nanotubes (PNTs) have attracted significant attention due to their well-ordered supramolecular structure and wide range of functional capabilities that may enable potential nanobiotechnology applications. However, self-assembled PNTs are generally inhomogeneous at the macroscale, which has limited their potential use. Reproducibly controlling the assembly and alignment of PNTs is therefore critical to enable the widespread use of PNTs, e.g., in sensing applications. In this study, a surface patterning technique based on UV/ozone exposure through a mask is used to align PNTs. Exposed regions become hydrophilic, leading to directed spreading of the FF solution and alignment of the PNTs that improves as the difference in wettability between adjacent regions increases. Alignment was further found to depend on the concentration- and temperature-dependent diameter of the PNTs formed and the size of the hydrophilic area. Finally, aligned PNTs decorated with silver nanoparticles are used to sense an analyte molecule using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.324Scopus© Citations 32 - PublicationNanoscale Piezoelectric Properties of Self-Assembled Fmoc-FF Peptide Fibrous Networks(American Chemical Society, 2015-05-21)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; Fibrous peptide networks, such as the structural framework of self-assembled fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl diphenylalanine (Fmoc-FF) nanofibrils, have mechanical properties that could successfully mimic natural tissues, making them promising materials for tissue engineering scaffolds. These nanomaterials have been determined to exhibit shear piezoelectricity using piezoresponse force microscopy, as previously reported for FF nanotubes. Structural analyses of Fmoc-FF nanofibrils suggest that the observed piezoelectric response may result from the noncentrosymmetric nature of an underlying β-sheet topology. The observed piezoelectricity of Fmoc-FF fibrous networks is advantageous for a range of biomedical applications where electrical or mechanical stimuli are required.465Scopus© Citations 68 - PublicationInterface modulated currents in periodically proton exchanged Mg doped lithium niobate(AIP Publishing, 2016-03-21)
; ; ; ; Conductivity in Mg doped lithium niobate (Mg:LN) plays a key role in the reduction of photorefraction and therefore doping is widely exploited in optical devices. However, charge transport through Mg:LN and across interfaces such as electrodes also yields potential electronic applications in devices with switchable conductivity states. Furthermore, the introduction of proton exchanged (PE) phases in Mg:LN enhances ionic conductivity thus providing tailorability of conduction mechanisms and functionality dependent on sample composition. To facilitate the construction and design of such multifunctional electronic devices based on periodically PE Mg:LN or similar ferroelectric semiconductors, fundamental understanding of charge transport in these materials, as well as the impact of internal and external interfaces is essential. In order to gain insight into polarization and interface dependent conductivity due to band bending, UV illumination, and chemical reactivity, multi composite wedge shaped samples consisting of polar orientated Mg:LN and PE phases, were investigated using conductive atomic force microscopy. In Mg:LN, three conductivity states (on/off/transient) were observed under UV illumination, controllable by the polarity of the sample and the externally applied electric field. Measurements of currents originating from electrochemical reactions at metal electrode - PE phase interfaces demonstrate a memresistive and rectifying capability of the PE phase. Furthermore, internal interfaces such as domain walls and Mg:LN - PE phase boundaries were found to play a major role in the accumulation of charge carriers due to the polarization gradients, which can lead to increased currents. The insight gained from these findings yield the potential for multifunctional applications such as switchable UV sensitive micro- and nanoelectronic devices and bistable memristors.375Scopus© Citations 2 - PublicationThermal and aqueous stability improvement of graphene oxide enhanced diphenylalanine nanocomposites(National Institute for Materials Science, 2017-02)
; ; ; ; ; ; Nanocomposites of diphenylalanine (FF) and carbon based materials provide an opportunity to overcome drawbacks associated with using FF micro- and nanostructures in nanobiotechnology applications, in particular, their poor structural stability in liquid solutions. In this study, FF/graphene oxide (GO) composites were found to self-assemble into layered micro- and nanostructures, which exhibited improved thermal and aqueous stability. Dependent on the FF/GO ratio, the solubility of these structures was reduced to 35.65% after 30 min as compared to 92.4% for pure FF samples. Such functional nanocomposites may extend the use of FF structures to, e.g., biosensing, electrochemical, electromechanical or electronic applications.499