Welcome to the research group of Nadav Amdursky for the study of charge transport across bioderived materials.
Biological charge transfer processes, such as the ones in the respiratory system, are the basis for our life, where proteins are Nature’s main choice for the translocation of charges. As such, we as scientists have the obligation of understanding the fundamentals of natural charge transport. Understanding these processes also allows designing innovative protein-based conductive bioinspired materials based on natural concepts. In our research group, we explore various types of charge transfer properties across either natural protein systems or artificial ones, from the nm-scale all the way to macroscopic biopolymers while distinguishing between electron and proton transfer.
Our approach of making novel conductive biopolymers is based on a sustainable nature of using natural byproducts for the formation of the biopolymer while adopting green chemistry principles.
To study the charge transfer properties, our group is equipped with two main experimental systems. The first is an environmental electrical system, where we can measure charge transfer upon the application of bias in various configurations, from molecular junctions to macroscopic biopolymers, and from electrical impedance measurements to field-effect transistors. The second system is a state-of-the-art ultrafast laser system that is used to follow light-induced charge transfer involving biological materials, in which we are capable to observe to follow individual charge transfer steps in the fs-ns time scales.
Our group is highly multidisciplinary, combining chemistry with materials, physics, biology, and electrical engineering. Our main two avenues involve fundamental basic research of understanding how charges travel across various biological circuits and how we can influence dynamic processes with light-induced charge transfer, as well as application-oriented research toward the development of innovative conductive biopolymers for several application routes, from sustainable energy, organic electronics, to biomedical applications.