ARCANE Bio-driven chemistry

Aptamer Switches Regulated by Post-Transition/Transition Metal Ions

We have introduced an original sensing scheme that is based on the aptamer switch from a destabilized, inactive metal-complexed state to a stabilized, active target-bound conformer. Small molecules such as, aflatoxin B1, or cocaine were detected with fluorescence anisotropy readout mode.

PI : Blandine Billet, Benoit Chovelon, Emmanuelle Fiore, Farid Oukacine, Mel-Alexandre Petrillo, Patrice Faure, Corinne Ravelet, and Eric Peyrin
Laboratory : DPM
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021

Polysaccharides with supramolecular “glycosylations” as adaptive glycomaterials

In collaboration between two teams of Grenoble, CERMAV & SyMMES, and a Finnish team (Aalto University – Prof. Olli IKKALA), the first ever built linear supramolecular polysaccharide has been obtained. This proof-of-concept opens the way towards bioinspired and self-healable glycomaterials.

PI: Sami HALILA (CERMAV), Patrice RANNOU (SyMMES)
Laboratories : Cermav and SyMMES
Chemical Communications, 2019, 55, 11739-11742

Vers des pansements antimicrobiens biosourcés à base de nanocellulose fonctionalisée en milieu CO2 supercritique

Le CEA-Léti et le CERMAV se sont associés avec le LGP2 pour élaborer des pansements antimicrobiens biosourcés à base de nanocellulose imprégnée en milieu CO2 supercritique d’un principe actif issu d’huile essentielle de thym. Les structures montrent de bonnes propriétés antibactériennes.

PI: Guillaume NONGLATON, Bruno JEAN
PhD: Clémentine Darpentigny
Laboratory : Leti
ACS Applied Bio Materials, 2020, 3, 2965-2975

Targeted DNP for biomolecular solid-state NM

In targeted DNP, polarizing agents are localized at specific sites of the biomolecular system allowing the development of NMR approaches to improve sensitivity, background suppression for in-cell NMR, access to long-range paramagnetic constraints, and high-resolution selective observation of binding sites.

PI: Sabine HEDIGER, Gael DE PAEPE
PhD: Ons DAKHLAOUI, Ildefonso MARIN-MONTESINOS
Laboratory : MEM
Chem. Sci., 2021

Impact of ionomer structuration on the performance of bio-inspired noble- metal-free fuel cell anodes

The ecological transition requires cheap and abundant electrocatalysts to achieve six key reactions: H2 evolution (HER), H2 oxidation (HOR), CO2 reduction (CO2RR), N2 reduction (NRR), O2 evolution (OER), and O2 reduction (ORR) reactions. HER, CORR, NRR, and OER take place in electrolyzers and photoelectrochemical cells to produce fuels and chemicals and O2 as a side product, whereas HOR and ORR are used in H2 fuels cells to produce electricity. Proton-exchange membrane technologies are promising, but they heavily rely on platinum-group metal catalysts. Molecular-engineered systems based on bio-inspired catalysts immobilized on carbon nanotubes hold promise for the development of platinum-free devices, but formulation of such alternative catalysts is still in its infancy. We show here that the functionalization of the carbon nanotubes directs the structuration of Nafion ionomer in the catalytic layer, which affects the mass-transport properties and therefore the performance of the device.

Repurposing a Bio-Inspired NiFe Hydrogenase Model for CO₂Reduction with Selective Production of Methane as the Unique C-Based Product

This publication reports the unprecedented reactivity of a molecular electrocatalyst physiadsorbed on a graphite electrode: a bioinspired Ni(II)Fe(II) complex selectively and catalytically reduces CO₂ in acidic aqueous solution to produce a mixture of CH₄ and H₂.

PI: Vincent Artero, Duboc Carole
PhD: Suzanne Adam
Laboratories : LCBM and DCM
ACS Energy Lett. 2020, 5, 12, 3837–3842
Also mentionned in Les Echos and Sciences et Vie