An unusual kind of glass can cage biomolecules, conduct electrons, and even respond to environmental cues.
Potential uses run the gamut from medical diagnostic tests to microrobotics.
B iological molecules such as enzymes and other proteins can carry out highly specific chemical reactions that materials scientists would love to harness. But incorporating those molecules into technological devices without destroying their ability to function has proven to be a vexing problem. Bakul Dave , an assistant professor of chemistry at SIUC, worked with the pioneering team as a postdoctoral fellow. Now he has invented new kinds of sol-gels with new uses. Making ordinary glass requires melting silica.