Prof. Ritu Kataky

Ritu Kataky

Durham University, Department of Chemistry

Electrochemistry at soft interfaces

Biological interfaces are both soft and electrified. Soft biomimetic interfaces provide powerful platforms for investigating fundamental biological interactions, as well as for developing practical electrochemical applications.

This talk will discuss electrochemical studies at soft interfaces in three main areas:

1. Drug and peptide interactions.  This includes chiral interactions, the aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides, the influence of metal ions, and the role of multifunctional peptidomimetic inhibitors.

2. Free-standing bilayer membranes.  Methods for studying mitochondrial membrane-associated molecules, including ubiquinone-10 (UQ10) and α-tocopherol (Vitamin E), will be presented. Resonance Enhanced Impedance Spectroscopy, a relatively new technique, will also be discussed as a real-time method for probing nanoparticle effects on lipid membranes.

3. Biofilms.  Biofilm formation on solid abiotic surfaces, together with associated electron-transfer cascades, is important in microbial fouling, microbial fuel cells, bioremediation, antibiotic resistance, and biosynthesis. Fundamental studies and their potential practical applications will be considered.