Cephalopod proteins as proton conductors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9804121-B2
Application number	US-201414559414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2014
Priority date	Dec 3, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

The disclosed invention relates to novel materials and associated methods for conducting protons, such materials comprising cephalopod proton-conducting proteins such as reflectins. The protonic conductivity of such cephalopod proton-conducting proteins may be modulated by the application of an electric field. The invention further encompasses protonic transistors comprising a cephalopod proton-conducting protein channel. The transistors and related devices of the invention are amenable to use in biological systems for the sensing or manipulation of protonic flows within the biological system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of conducting protons from a proton source to a proton sink, comprising
conducting protons through a protonic channel structure comprising a cephalopod proton-conducting protein, wherein the cephalopod proton-conducting protein comprises
a protein comprising SEQ ID NO: 1, and/or
a reflectin.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the cephalopod proton-conducting protein is a reflectin.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the channel structure comprises a thin film of cephalopod proton-conducting protein.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the protonic channel structure comprises a composite material comprising cephalopod proton-conducting protein coated particles embedded in a matrix.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the proton source and proton sink comprise electrodes, wherein a differential voltage exists between the two electrodes.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein
the electrodes comprise metal hydride electrodes.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the proton source and proton sink comprise separate compartments in a device selected from the group consisting of:
an electrochemical cell, a fuel cell, an electrolyzer, and a battery.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the method of claim 1 , wherein the protonic channel structure comprises a cephalopod proton-conducting protein-coated mesh or porous material.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the proton sink comprises a biological system.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein
the biological system is selected from a group consisting of:
an intracellular space, an extracellular space, a tissue, and a cell culture.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
the modulation of the protonic channel structure's protonic conductivity by the application of an electric field to the channel structure.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein
the electric field is applied by a gate electrode in contact with or in proximity to the channel structure.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Gorodetsky Alon
• Phan Long
• Walkup Ward
• Ordinario David

Classifications

• C12N13/00

  Treatment of microorganisms or enzymes with electrical or wave energy, e.g. magnetism, sonic waves · CPC title

• G01N27/4167 Primary

  pH (electrodes therefor G01N27/302, G01N27/36) · CPC title

• H01L51/0558

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0093

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10K10/484 Primary

  characterised by the channel regions · CPC title