Water-regulated viscosity-plasticity phase transitions in a peptide self-assembled muscle-like hydrogel

Yu Fang, Junhui Shi, Juan Liang, Dan Ma () and Huaimin Wang ()
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Yu Fang: Zhejiang University
Junhui Shi: Westlake University
Juan Liang: Westlake University
Dan Ma: Westlake University
Huaimin Wang: Westlake University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The self-assembly of small molecules through non-covalent interactions is an emerging and promising strategy for building dynamic, stable, and large-scale structures. One remaining challenge is making the non-covalent interactions occur in the ideal positions to generate strength comparable to that of covalent bonds. This work shows that small molecule YAWF can self-assemble into a liquid-crystal hydrogel (LCH), the mechanical properties of which could be controlled by water. LCH can be used to construct stable solid threads with a length of over 1 meter by applying an external force on 2 µL of gel solution followed by water-regulated crystallization. These solid threads can support 250 times their weight. Cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) analysis unravels the three-dimensional structure of the liquid-crystal fiber (elongated helix with C2 symmetry) at an atomic resolution. The multiscale mechanics of this material depend on the specificity of the molecular structure, and the water-controlled hierarchical and sophisticated self-assembly.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56415-7

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