This research is open only to US citizens.
Research is under way on the preparation and characterization of novel microstructures.
Diacetylenic lipids that form long, hollow tubules have been synthesized and the molecular forces, which cause the formation of this unusual morphology, are being intensively investigated. Use of this new form of lipid as a template for polymer and metal deposition, and as a site for surface-chemical reaction, detection, and controlled release has become the center of research programs in our group. The use of oriented, metallized tubules in polymer matrices to exploit their electromagnetic, electrochemical, mechanical, optical, and chemical-engineering properties is being explored. Techniques for monitoring the properties of biologically derived microstructures will include vibrational and electronic spectroscopies, scanning calorimetry, and electron microscopy and circular dichroism. The aim is to construct simple, then increasingly complex, biomolecular microstructures able to perform novel functions.