Horseradish Peroxidase Catalyzed Polymerization of Tyrosine Derivatives for Nanoscale Surface Patterning

Abstract

Tyrosine and its derivatives can be polymerized by enzymatic catalysis with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In the present study, tyrosine ethyl ester hydrochloride was nanopatterned on mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHA) modified gold surfaces using dip‐pen nanolithography (DPN). Enzymatic polymerization was carried out on the well‐organized nanofeatures and confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) phase images and electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) phase‐lag images. The results extend DPN to amino acid derivatives as biocompatible conducting circuitry with nanoscale features.

Keywords:

• Horseradish peroxidase
• Polymerization
• Enzyme
• Tyrosine
• Dip‐pen nanolithography
• Atomic force microscopy
• Electrostatic force microscopy

Acknowledgment

Support from the Air Force MURI program is gratefully acknowledged.