The rising demand for rare earth elements (REEs) necessitates more sustainable and selective separation methods. This research explores peptide-based strategies using lanthanide-binding tags (LBTs), short peptides that coordinate REEs with high affinity. Two approaches are investigated: (1) Foam-based separations, where LBT:REE complexes adsorb to the air-water interface and are collected in foam. Surface tension, x-ray reflectivity, and fluorescence techniques demonstrate selective interfacial adsorption of Tb3+. Cross-linking with glutaraldehyde enhances foam stability and separation efficiency. (2) Self-assembly of LBT:REE complexes into nanoscale aggregates, characterized by dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and anomalous small angle x-ray scattering. Circular dichroism spectroscopy reveals that metal coordination influences peptide conformation and aggregation via hydrophobic and aromatic interactions. This work integrates interfacial science, macromolecular assembly, and coordination chemistry to advance biomolecular platforms for selective and sustainable REE recovery.
","abstract_html":"<p>The rising demand for rare earth elements (REEs) necessitates more sustainable and selective separation methods. This research explores peptide-based strategies using lanthanide-binding tags (LBTs), short peptides that coordinate REEs with high affinity. Two approaches are investigated: (1) Foam-based separations, where LBT:REE complexes adsorb to the air-water interface and are collected in foam. Surface tension, x-ray reflectivity, and fluorescence techniques demonstrate selective interfacial adsorption of Tb<sup>3+</sup>. Cross-linking with glutaraldehyde enhances foam stability and separation efficiency. (2) Self-assembly of LBT:REE complexes into nanoscale aggregates, characterized by dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and anomalous small angle x-ray scattering. Circular dichroism spectroscopy reveals that metal coordination influences peptide conformation and aggregation via hydrophobic and aromatic interactions. This work integrates interfacial science, macromolecular assembly, and coordination chemistry to advance biomolecular platforms for selective and sustainable REE recovery.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ortuno Macias, Luis E"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Chemical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Charles Maldarelli","Raymond Tu"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:13Z","subjects":["LBT","peptides","rare earth elements","separation","interfaces","self-assembly","Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1278","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Charles Maldarelli","Raymond Tu"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ortuno Macias, Luis E"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2030-03-21T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Chemical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["LBT","peptides","rare earth elements","separation","interfaces","self-assembly","Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1278"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The rising demand for rare earth elements (REEs) necessitates more sustainable and selective separation methods. This research explores peptide-based strategies using lanthanide-binding tags (LBTs), short peptides that coordinate REEs with high affinity. Two approaches are investigated: (1) Foam-based separations, where LBT:REE complexes adsorb to the air-water interface and are collected in foam. Surface tension, x-ray reflectivity, and fluorescence techniques demonstrate selective interfacial adsorption of Tb3+. Cross-linking with glutaraldehyde enhances foam stability and separation efficiency. (2) Self-assembly of LBT:REE complexes into nanoscale aggregates, characterized by dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and anomalous small angle x-ray scattering. Circular dichroism spectroscopy reveals that metal coordination influences peptide conformation and aggregation via hydrophobic and aromatic interactions. This work integrates interfacial science, macromolecular assembly, and coordination chemistry to advance biomolecular platforms for selective and sustainable REE recovery.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Lanthanide Binding Tag Peptides for Selective Separation of Rare Earth Elements"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Charles Maldarelli","Raymond Tu"],"dc:creator":["Ortuno Macias, Luis E"],"dc:date.available":["2030-03-21T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The rising demand for rare earth elements (REEs) necessitates more sustainable and selective separation methods. This research explores peptide-based strategies using lanthanide-binding tags (LBTs), short peptides that coordinate REEs with high affinity. Two approaches are investigated: (1) Foam-based separations, where LBT:REE complexes adsorb to the air-water interface and are collected in foam. Surface tension, x-ray reflectivity, and fluorescence techniques demonstrate selective interfacial adsorption of Tb3+. Cross-linking with glutaraldehyde enhances foam stability and separation efficiency. (2) Self-assembly of LBT:REE complexes into nanoscale aggregates, characterized by dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and anomalous small angle x-ray scattering. Circular dichroism spectroscopy reveals that metal coordination influences peptide conformation and aggregation via hydrophobic and aromatic interactions. This work integrates interfacial science, macromolecular assembly, and coordination chemistry to advance biomolecular platforms for selective and sustainable REE recovery.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1278"],"dc:subject":["LBT","peptides","rare earth elements","separation","interfaces","self-assembly","Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering"],"dc:title":["Lanthanide Binding Tag Peptides for Selective Separation of Rare Earth Elements"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Chemical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:13Z"}