Education Laboratory of Bionanotechnology

The group is involved in the BioNanoTechnology Minor –
In this minor we will touch on the various areas where nanomaterials play a role in plants and organisms, as well as in new (hard and soft) materials. In the ‘Introduction to Bionanotechnology’ course, the emphasis is on biological, bio-mimetic, bio-inspired or newly developed nanomaterials; particularly stimuli-responsive or sensing nanoparticles and functional surfaces will be treated. Microscopic and spectroscopic techniques play a crucial role in bionanotechnology and its applications, and ample attention will be given to imaging techniques (for example, in the ‘Cell Biology and Advanced Imaging Technologies’ course). In the master-course ‘Bionanotechnology: towards nanomedicine’, the focus will be more explicitly on applications of nanomaterials in medicinal applications, from diagnostics, devices and screening methods to antibacterial and cropprotection applications, to diagnostic, therapeutic and multimodality. Also ethical aspects of bionanotechnology research and applications will be covered.

and Bio-Inorganic Chemistry –
This course deals with biological inorganic chemistry, discussing the presence and role of naturally and non-naturally occurring inorganic elements in biological systems. Focus is on chemistry of d-block elements in various oxidation states and the molecular structure of corresponding transition metal complexes considering variations in ligands and geometries. The electronic configuration and spectroscopic properties of metal complexes are evaluated with Crystal Field and Ligand Field theory. Dynamic and structural properties of metal complexes will further be evaluated with Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy techniques. Special attention is paid to metal-ligand interactions in proteins and the structural and functional aspects thereof. The field of medicinal inorganic chemistry is addressed evaluating the metabolic transformation of metal-complexes in biological systems, with focus on metal-protein and metal-nucleic acids interaction. An introduction to lanthanide chemistry will also be given. During laboratory classes metal coordination complexes will be synthesized and analysed, of which some will be used in the Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy course.