Air Force awards $360K to California researcher for novel nanoscale biobased devices

In California, Ian Wheeldon, an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering, received a $360,000 grant to better organize enzymes on electrodes to create nanoscale devices that more efficiently convert the chemical energy of sugars and complex carbohydrates into electricity. The award came from the Young Investigator Program run by Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The first objective of Wheeldon’s project is to define relationships between multi-enzyme scaffold design and pathway reaction rate. These relationships will define a set of rules that can enhance kinetics by spatial organization.

The second objective is to apply the newly developed understanding of multi-enzyme pathways to create novel anodes for enzymatic biofuel cells.