Structural-Functional Analysis of Engineered Protein-Nanoparticle Assemblies Using Graphene Microelectrodes

The characterization of protein-nanoparticle assemblies in solution remains a challenge. We demonstrate a technique based on a graphene microelectrode for structural-functional analysis of model systems composed of nanoparticles enclosed in open-pore and closed-pore ferritin molecules. The method readily resolves the difference in accessibility of the enclosed nanoparticle for charge transfer and offers the prospect for quantitative analysis of pore-mediated transport shed light on the spatial orientation of the protein subunits on the nanoparticle surface, faster and with higher sensitivity than conventional catalysis methods.