UC Berkeley

Selective molecular recognition is critical for identification and capture of environmental contaminants, both inorganic and organic. Urban mining to recycle critical minerals requires selective binding of one chemical entity from a mixture of chemically and physically similar species. A diversity-based approach was used to discover new support-bound peptoid tertiary armine ligands that are selective for indium (III) over aluminum (III) that may be used to recycle flat panel displays. In other cases, activity-based recognition is more relevant than recognition based on chemical identity. Many organic contaminants are biologically active. Health monitoring depends on measuring total bioactivity of complex mixtures rather than identifying each individual compound. Progress was made towards a low-cost fluorescence-based estrogenic activity sensor using the human estrogen receptor alpha. Immobilization of the receptor on resin disrupted the native activity. Finally, the development of new materials requires convenient laboratory-scale methods for testing. To evaluate silicate-removing materials designed to reduce scale buildup, a lab-scale break-through test workflow was developed.