Abstract: Provided is, inter alia, a method, comprising: complexing a peptide-comprising surfactant (PEPS) to a rare earth element (REE) cation in a solution so as to form a PEPS-REE complex, the PEPS comprising a REE-binding region that preferentially binds to one or more REEs; and optionally recovering the REE cation from an air-liquid interface. Also provided is a composition, comprising: a complex comprising (i) a peptide-comprising surfactant (PEPS), the PEPS comprising at least one lanthanide binding tag (LBT), the at least one LBT comprising one or more residues arranged in a binding region that coordinates with an REE cation so as to form a PEPS-REE cation complex, and (ii) an REE cation, the REE cation of the complex coordinated with the binding region of the PEPS. Further provided is a method, comprising application of at least one of molecular dynamics, artificial intelligence, and a genetic algorithm to design a PEPS that comprises an LBT and preferentially binds one REE over at least one other REE.

Abstract: A process for generating single crystalline nano-crystals is described. The nano-crystals are formed on a substrate containing nano-sectors having functional groups which promote nucleation of crystals and inert sectors which do not. The particle size of the crystals is controlled by the size of the nano-sectors and the crystals become reversibly attached to the surface of the nano-sectors during crystallization. In addition, the substrate containing the single crystalline nano-crystals and the single crystalline nano-crystals formed by the process are also claimed.