Stimuli-responsive surfaces
AssigneeThe University of Birmingham
InventorPaula Mendes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stimuli-responsive surface (3) comprising a substrate (20) on which is located a switchable molecule (2) which has a functional moiety (22) associated therewith, wherein the switchable molecule (2) has a first equilibrium state (2A) in which access to the functional moiety (22) is inhibited and a second stimulated state (2B), in which access to the functional moiety (22) is permitted.
Claims16
A stimuli-responsive surface comprising a substrate on which is located plural switchable molecules which have a functional moiety associated therewith, wherein each of the switchable molecules comprises an anchoring moiety which anchors each of the switchable molecules to the substrate and the functional moiety comprises a connecting group which anchors the functional moiety to the substrate, wherein the plural switchable molecules and functional moiety are independently located on the substrate and wherein the substrate is electrically conductive or comprises an electrically conductive layer, such that each of the switchable molecules is configured to have a first equilibrium state in which access to the functional moiety is inhibited and a second stimulated state, in which access to the functional moiety is permitted by a conformational change in each of the switchable molecules upon application of an electrical potential to the substate, thereby exposing a bioactive molecular moiety of the functional moiety capable of binding an analyte.
A method of fabricating a stimuli-responsive surface, the method comprising step a) locating a functional moiety on an electrically conductive substrate with a connecting moiety, and step b) locating plural stimuli-responsive switchable molecules on the electrically conductive substrate with an anchoring group, the plural stimuli-responsive switchable molecules and the functional moiety being independently located on the electrically conductive substrate, the plural stimuli-responsive switchable molecules comprising at least one peptide and being configured to undergo a conformational change when an electrical potential is applied to the electrically conductive substrate to expose a bioactive molecular moiety of the functional moiety capable of binding an analyte.
A method for detecting an analyte, the method comprising applying an electrical potential across an electrically conductive surface to initiate a conformational change in plural switchable molecules from a first equilibrium state to a second active state thereby exposing a bioactive molecular moiety of a functional moiety capable of binding an analyte, the plural switchable molecules comprising at least one peptide and being located on and anchored to the electrically conductive surface by an anchoring moiety, the functional moiety being anchored to the electrically conductive surface by a connecting group, wherein the functional moiety is associated with the plural switchable molecules;
- wherein the plural switchable molecules and the functional moiety are independently located on a substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.