Welcome to DD LAB: 

An exciting structural and functional overlap of synthetic organic chemistry with nanomaterials and biomolecules is being observed in our lab. 

We are currently excited about:

1. Synthesis and Applications of Functional Amyloids:

• The struggle of weak forces creates some of the most robust functional structures known in Nature-taking a leaf out of Nature’s book,  soft nanostructures with patterned cross β-facets will be created with properties resonating with diverse fields.

• Self-constructing peptide lipid chimeras capable of accessing diverse nanophases will be designed. These dynamic nanostructures connected by a network of thermodynamic equilibria will be scored for unique emergent properties.

• Soft materials will be fabricated from unique molecular Lego pieces encoded (installed) with specific moieties for diverse functions: from energy transfer to enzyme matrices

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2. Dissipative Self-Assembly:

• The energetically uphill processes of self-assembly often seen in Nature will be foreshadowed in synthetic systems. Consumption of energy will give rise to structures with functional properties with an added dimension of time. 

• Filamentous proteins seen in cytoskeleton display out-of equilibrium generation of polymeric phases and  dissipate energy by virtue of accelerated catalysis from the polymerized states.  Realization of such temporal structures with ability to perform functions will be targeted.