Controlled self-assembly of plant proteins into high-performance multifunctional nanostructured films.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Kamada A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8192951 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:In nature, sophisticated functional materials are created through hierarchical self-assembly of simple nanoscale motifs. In the laboratory, much progress has been made in the controlled assembly of molecules into one-, two- and three-dimensional artificial nanostructures, but bridging from the nanoscale to the macroscale to create useful macroscopic materials remains a challenge. Here we show a scalable self-assembly approach to making free-standing films from amyloid protein fibrils. The films were well ordered and highly rigid, with a Young's modulus of up to 5-7 GPa, which is comparable to the highest values for proteinaceous materials found in nature. We show that the self-organizing protein scaffolds can align otherwise unstructured components (such as fluorophores) within the macroscopic films. Multiscale self-assembly that relies on highly specific biomolecular interactions is an attractive path for realizing new multifunctional materials built from the bottom up.
| S-EPMC4612398 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Fundamental advances in biotechnology, medicine, environment, electronics and energy require methods for precise control of spatial organization at the nanoscale. Assemblies that rely on highly specific biomolecular interactions are an attractive approach to form materials that display novel and useful properties. Here, we report on assembly of films from the designed, rod-shaped, superhelical, consensus tetratricopeptide repeat protein (CTPR). We have designed three peptide-binding sites into the 18 repeat CTPR to allow for further specific and non-covalent functionalization of films through binding of fluorescein labelled peptides. The fluorescence signal from the peptide ligand bound to the protein in the solid film is anisotropic, demonstrating that CTPR films can impose order on otherwise isotropic moieties. Circular dichroism measurements show that the individual protein molecules retain their secondary structure in the film, and X-ray scattering, birefringence and atomic force microscopy experiments confirm macroscopic alignment of CTPR molecules within the film. This work opens the door to the generation of innovative biomaterials with tailored structure and function.
| S-EPMC3645414 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Creation of three-dimensional (3D) porous nanostructured electrodes with controlled conductive pathways for both ions and electrons is becoming an increasingly important strategy and is particularly of great interest for the development of high-performance energy storage devices. In this article, we report a facile and environmentally friendly self-assembly approach to fabricating advanced 3D nanostructured electrodes. The self-assembly is simply realized via formation of a multifunctional protein coating on the surface of electrode nanoparticles by using a denatured soy protein derived from the abundantly prevalent soybean plant. It is found that the denatured protein coating plays three roles simultaneously: as a surfactant for the dispersion of electrode nanoparticles, an ion-conductive coating for the active materials, and a binder for the final electrode. More importantly, it is interestingly found that being a unique surfactant, the surface protein coating enables the self-assembly behavior of the electrode nanoparticles during the evaporation of aqueous dispersion, which finally results in 3D porous nanostructured electrodes. In comparison with the most classic binder, poly(vinylidene fluoride), the advantages of the 3D nanostructured electrode in terms of electrochemical properties (capacity and rate capability) are demonstrated. This study provides an environmentally friendly and cost-effective self-assembly strategy for fabrication of advanced nanostructured electrodes using electrode nanoparticles as the building block.
| S-EPMC6641125 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Electrochromic materials and devices are attracting intense attention because of their low energy consumption and open-circuit memory effect. Considering the difficult processing characteristics of electrochromic conductive polymers, we developed a facile and scalable strategy to prepare solution processable polyaniline (PANI)-based nanocomposites by introducing two-dimensional titanium carbon nanosheets (MXene) through a self-assembly approach. The PANI/MXene nanocomposite can be fabricated into porous films via spray-coating process, which show an obvious synergetic effect of both materials, leading to superior electrochromic properties. The optical contrast of the optimized PANI/MXene film reached as high as 55% at =700 nm, and its response times were 1.3 s for coloration and 2.0 s for bleaching, respectively. In addition, the composite film also showed excellent cycle stability (after 500 cycles, the ΔT retention was above 87%). The improved electrochromic properties are owed to the high conductivity of MXene and the formation of the porous composite film structure, which promote the electronic/ionic transfer and migration efficiency. This research suggests that the self-assembly method and the conductive polymer/MXene nanocomposites have a potential application in the fields of electronic functional films and devices.
| S-EPMC8623319 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The energetic particles bombardment can produce large internal stress in the zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film, and it can be used to intentionally modify the surface characteristics of ZnO films. In this article, we observed that the internal stress increased from -1.62 GPa to -0.33 GPa, and the naturally wettability of the textured ZnO nanostructured films changed from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity. According to analysis of surface chemical states, the naturally controllable wetting behavior can be attributed to hydrocarbon adsorbates on the nanostructured film surface, which is caused by tunable internal stress. On the other hand, the interfacial water molecules near the surface of ZnO nanostructured films have been identified as hydrophobic hydrogen structure by Fourier transform infrared/attenuated total reflection. Moreover, a remarkable near-band-edge emission peak shifting also can be observed in PL spectra due to the transition of internal stress state. Furthermore, our present ZnO nanostructured films also exhibited excellent transparency over 80% with a wise surface wetting switched from hydrophobic to hydrophilic states after exposing in ultraviolet (UV) surroundings. Our work demonstrated that the internal stress of the thin film not only induced natural wettability transition of ZnO nanostructured films, but also in turn affected the surface properties such as surface chemisorption.
| S-EPMC5324092 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The design of multifunctional nanostructured materials is the key to the development of smart wearable devices. For instance, nanostructures endowed with both piezoelectric and photocatalytic activities could well be the workhorse for solar-light-driven self-cleaning wearable sensors. In this work, a simple strategy for the assembly of a flexible, semitransparent piezophotocatalytic system is demonstrated by leveraging rational wet chemistry synthesis of ZnO-based nanosheets/nanoflowers (NSs/NFs) under basic pH conditions onto flexible ITO/PET supports. A KMnO4 pretreatment before the ZnO synthesis (seeded ZnO) allows for the control of the density, size, and orientation of the NSs/NFs systems compared to the systems produced in the absence of seeding (seedless ZnO). The electrical response of the sensors is extracted at a 1 V bias as a function of bending in the interval between 0 and 90°, being the responsivity toward bending significantly enhanced by the KMnO4 treatment effect. The photocatalytic activity of the sensors is analyzed in aqueous solution (methylene blue, 25 μM) by a solar simulator, resulting in similar values between seedless and seeded ZnO. Upon bending the sensor, the photocatalytic activity of seedless ZnO is almost unaffected, whereas that of seeded ZnO is improved by about 25%. The sensor's reusability and repeatability are tested in up to three different cycles. These results open up the way toward the seamless integration of bending sensitivity and photocatalysis into a single device.
| S-EPMC10226038 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Layer-by-Layer (LbL) self-assembly has been investigated for several decades. However, the conventional LbL method has performance problems on the chair-side caused by its cumbersome and time-consuming process. Thus, we investigate a new LbL self-assembly technique for the fast and high efficient preparation process based on the brush. The multilayer films fabricated by simple sequential brushing of polyelectrolyte solutions are compared to the classical dipping method. We characterize the multilayer films by characteristics such as their morphology and thickness, and compare them against those of the classic method by profilometry, atomic force microscopy. We prepare multilayer films with biocompatible polyelectrolytes, chitosan, and alginate incorporated with a hydrophobic drug carrier. For the drug carrier, a poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-b-PCL) block copolymer is introduced to construct micelles containing dexamethasone, which is a well-known osteogenesis-inducing drug. The hydrogen bonding behavior between adjacent layers and micelles is investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Additionally, we analyze the release profiles, degradation profiles and toxicity of the multilayer films for biomedical applications. From these results, we can identify the brushing LbL method as a reliable and more efficient multilayer film-construction process compared to conventional dipping LbL, especially for practical applications in dental and clinical situations.
| S-EPMC5820262 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A bioengineering method for self-assembly of multifunctional superstructures with in-advance programmable properties has been proposed. The method employs two unique proteins, barnase and barstar, to rapidly join the structural components together directly in water solutions. The properties of the superstructures can be designed on demand by linking different agents of various sizes and chemical nature, designated for specific goals. As a proof of concept, colloidally stable trifunctional structures have been assembled by binding together magnetic particles, quantum dots, and antibodies using barnase and barstar. The assembly has demonstrated that the bonds between these proteins are strong enough to hold macroscopic (5 nm-3 microm) particles together. Specific interaction of such superstructures with cancer cells resulted in fluorescent labeling of the cells and their responsiveness to magnetic field. The method can be used to join inorganic moieties, organic particles, and single biomolecules for synergistic use in different applications such as biosensors, photonics, and nanomedicine.
| S-EPMC2851910 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Following severe spinal cord injury (SCI), dysregulated neuroinflammation causes neuronal and glial apoptosis, resulting in scar and cystic cavity formation during wound healing process and ultimately atrophic nerve regrowth inhibitory microenvironment. Because of this complex and dynamic nature of SCI pathophysiology, a systemic solution for scar and cavity free wound healing while remodeling microenvironment for nerve regrowth has been rarely explored. To address this challenge, we provided a one-step solution through a self-assembly, multifunctional hydrogel depot punctually releasing the anti-inflammatory drug methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) and growth factors locally according to its pathophysiology to repair severe SCI. We found release of growth factors alone could only provide some tissues/axons protection, but failed to eliminate all cystic cavity formation. Sustained release of MPSS is sufficient to modulate dysregulated neuroinflammation and eliminate almost all cystic cavity but unable to alleviate impenetrable scar boundaries, which are largely responsive for nerve regrowth failure. Strikingly, synergically releasing anti-inflammatory drugs MPSS and growth factors in the hydrogel depot along SCI pathophysiology protected spared tissues/axons from secondary injury, promoted scar boundary and cavity free wound healing and made permissive bridges for remarkable axonal regrowth. Behavior and electrophysiology studies indicated that the remnant of spared axons but not regenerating axons mediated functional recovery, strongly suggesting that additional interventions are still required to make the rebuilt neuronal circuits perform functions. Taken together, these findings pave the way to develop a systemic solution to treat acute SCI.
2022-01-01 | GSE165635 | GEO
Project description:With the resource-intensive meat industry accounting for over 50% of food-linked emissions, plant protein consumption is an inevitable need of the hour. Despite its significance, the key barrier to adoption of plant proteins is their astringent off-sensation, typically associated with high friction and consequently poor lubrication performance. Herein, we demonstrate that by transforming plant proteins into physically cross-linked microgels, it is possible to improve their lubricity remarkably, dependent on their volume fractions, as evidenced by combining tribology using biomimetic tongue-like surface with atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, rheology and adsorption measurements. Experimental findings which are fully supported by numerical modelling reveal that these non-lipidic microgels not only decrease boundary friction by an order of magnitude as compared to native protein but also replicate the lubrication performance of a 20:80 oil/water emulsion. These plant protein microgels offer a much-needed platform to design the next-generation of healthy, palatable and sustainable foods.
| S-EPMC10406910 | biostudies-literature