Disordered protein-graphene oxide co-assembly and supramolecular biofabrication of functional fluidic devices

Yuanhao Wu, Babatunde O. Okesola, Jing Xu, Ivan Korotkin, Alice Berardo, Ilaria Corridori, Francesco Luigi Pellerej Brocchetti, Janos Kanczler, Jingyu Feng, Weiqi Li, Yejiao Shi, Vladimir Farafonov, Yiqiang Wang, Rebecca F. Thompson, Maria-Magdalena Titirici, Dmitry Nerukh, Sergey Karabasov, Richard O. C. Oreffo, Jose Carlos Rodriguez-Cabello, Giovanni Vozzi, Helena S. Azevedo, Nicola M. Pugno, Wen Wang and Alvaro Mata ()
Additional contact information
Yuanhao Wu: Queen Mary University of London
Babatunde O. Okesola: Queen Mary University of London
Jing Xu: Queen Mary University of London
Ivan Korotkin: Queen Mary University of London
Alice Berardo: Università di Trento
Ilaria Corridori: Università di Trento
Francesco Luigi Pellerej Brocchetti: University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino
Janos Kanczler: University of Southampton
Jingyu Feng: Queen Mary University of London
Weiqi Li: Queen Mary University of London
Yejiao Shi: Queen Mary University of London
Vladimir Farafonov: V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Svobody Sq. 4
Yiqiang Wang: Culham Science Centre
Rebecca F. Thompson: University of Leeds
Maria-Magdalena Titirici: Queen Mary University of London
Dmitry Nerukh: Aston University
Sergey Karabasov: Queen Mary University of London
Richard O. C. Oreffo: University of Southampton
Jose Carlos Rodriguez-Cabello: University of Valladolid, CIBER-BBN
Giovanni Vozzi: University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino
Helena S. Azevedo: Queen Mary University of London
Nicola M. Pugno: Queen Mary University of London
Wen Wang: Queen Mary University of London
Alvaro Mata: Queen Mary University of London

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Supramolecular chemistry offers an exciting opportunity to assemble materials with molecular precision. However, there remains an unmet need to turn molecular self-assembly into functional materials and devices. Harnessing the inherent properties of both disordered proteins and graphene oxide (GO), we report a disordered protein-GO co-assembling system that through a diffusion-reaction process and disorder-to-order transitions generates hierarchically organized materials that exhibit high stability and access to non-equilibrium on demand. We use experimental approaches and molecular dynamics simulations to describe the underlying molecular mechanism of formation and establish key rules for its design and regulation. Through rapid prototyping techniques, we demonstrate the system’s capacity to be controlled with spatio-temporal precision into well-defined capillary-like fluidic microstructures with a high level of biocompatibility and, importantly, the capacity to withstand flow. Our study presents an innovative approach to transform rational supramolecular design into functional engineering with potential widespread use in microfluidic systems and organ-on-a-chip platforms.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14716-z

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