Spectroscopic characterization of Pt-complexation and nanoparticle formation on S-layer protein of bacillus sphaericus JG-A12

The strain Bacillus sphaericus JG-A12, isolated from the uranium mining waste pile called Haberland in Saxony, Germany, is capable of selective and reversible accumulation of radionuclides and toxic metals. It was demonstrated that the main role by metal binding is played by the surface of protein layer.
The S-layer possesses a highly ordered lattice structure and can serve as a template for production transportation of noble metals.
The aim of this study was the characterization of the secondary structure and the stability of the protein after complexation Pt and also after the formation of nanoclusters by reduction.
The measurements by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), revealed that the structure of the S-layer protein is stabilized after both sorption or reduction of Pt(II) against acidification.
An aspect for this conclusion is pH induced infrared absorption changes of the Pt(II)-bound S-layer. An effect of different pH-values is the protonation of carboxylic acids caused the reduction of the COO- stretching modes. The denaturation occurs near by pH of 0.8. This is shown by the downshift of amid I absorption.
The aim of the EXAFS measurement was the identification of functional groups of the s-layer protein which are involved in binding Pt(II) or Pt(0). The analysis which has been carried out at synchrotron beam line at ESRF in Grenoble approves the results of IR measurements for identification of functional groups. The first shell contains at a distance of 2.01 ± 0.02 Å oxygen and nitrogen whereas the system can not distinguish between this elements. In the second were found Pt-Pt bindings and the third was dominated by Pt-C bindings.