The Diez-Perez Group focuses on understanding charge transport in synthetic as well as biological molecular architectures with a twofold objective:
- Disentangle the most important mechanisms of electron/energy transfer that regulate essential functions in life (e.g. respiratory chain and/or photosynthesis).
- Optimise the biomolecule/electrode interface towards the design of future bio-electronic devices. To this aim, the Group have developed unique single-molecule capabilities to precisely control the formation of electrical contacts with individual (bio)molecules between two metal electrodes under electrochemical control, which allow them to characterise their charge transport signatures at a very high level of resolution. In combination with a variety of other experimental approaches, the Group are tackling several cutting-edge scientific questions that constitute the main core of their current projects:
- The Diez-Perez Group studies bioengineered single-protein wires to dissect electron pathways in model redox proteins.
- The Group studies spin-polarised charge transport in chiral biological moieties to unravel the role of spin in quantum biology.
- The Group studies electrical transduction of enzymatic catalysis in a single-protein wire to dig into enzymatic mechanisms and design new electrical methods for enzyme-based sensing.
- The Group analyses long-range transport mechanisms developed in protein complexes of electrical bacteria for their inspiration on conducting polymers design and synthesis.
More information can be found on the Diez-Perez Group website.
Group lead
Professor of Nanochemistry