Enzyme Mediated Synthesis of a Semiconducting Metal Oxide

Enzymes are an important class of biological molecules, their specific functionality being exploited to perform tasks beyond the reach of conventional chemistry. One possible use of the enzyme urease is to modify the solution environment of a water soluble and stable TiO2 precursor under benign conditions. Previous research has shown that the immobilization of urease onto self-assembled monolayers resulted in increased stability with respect to increased temperature and pH. Our current research is directed at immobilizing urease in order to develop a suitable industrial application for enzyme mediated synthesis.