Researchers at Penn State have made advancements in the study of borophene, an atomically thin material that has shown promise in various applications due to its unique properties. Borophene is considered to be more conductive, thinner, lighter, stronger, and more flexible than graphene, the 2D version of carbon. The team led by Dipanjan Pan, a professor in Nanomedicine, Materials Science and Engineering, and Nuclear Engineering, has imparted chirality on borophene, enabling unique interactions on a biological level. This work, published in ACS Nano, represents the first study of its kind and opens up possibilities for advanced sensors and implantable medical devices.
Chirality refers to the properties of physical units that are similar but not identical, similar to left and right hands. In the case of molecules, chirality can result in two versions that cannot be perfectly matched, much like left and right mittens. The researchers found that borophene is structurally polymorphic, allowing for different configurations and properties. This polymorphic nature enables researchers to tune borophene to have various properties, including chirality, which has implications for its interactions with biological units such as cells and protein precursors.
The team synthesized borophene platelets, similar to cellular fragments, using solution state synthesis. By subjecting boron powders to high-energy sound waves and mixing them with different amino acids, they were able to impart chirality on the borophene platelets. The researchers discovered that certain amino acids, like cysteine, would bind to borophene at specific locations depending on their chiral handedness. This finding led to observations of how the handedness of the borophene platelets changed their interactions with cell membranes and their entry into cells.
Understanding how borophene interacts with cells and being able to control those interactions could lead to safer and more effective implantable medical devices in the future. The unique structure of borophene allows for effective magnetic and electronic control, making it potentially valuable in various applications beyond medical devices. The researchers are currently working on developing biosensors, drug delivery systems, and imaging applications for borophene, indicating that this study is just the beginning of exploring the material’s full potential in healthcare, sustainable energy, and more.
The study was conducted in collaboration with Teresa Aditya, Parikshit Moitra, Maha Alafeef, and David Skrodzki, all contributing to the research on borophene and its interactions with biological units. The research was supported in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense. The findings of this study represent a significant step forward in the understanding of borophene and its potential applications in various fields. With the ability to control interactions with cells on a molecular level, borophene could revolutionize the development of advanced sensors, implantable medical devices, drug delivery systems, and more.
