State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology , Shanghai Jiao Tong University , 800 Dongchuan Road , Shanghai 200240 , People's Republic of China.
Biomacromolecules. 2019 Sep 9;20(9):3283-3293. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b00389. Epub 2019 May 2.
Integrating multifunctionality such as stretchability, adhesiveness, and electroconductivity on a single protein hydrogel is highly desirable for various applications, and remains a challenge. Here we present the development of such multifunctional hydrogels based on resilin, a natural rubber-like material with remarkable extensibility and resilience. First, genetically engineered reslin-like proteins (RLPs) with varying molecular weight were biosynthesized to tune mechanical strength and stiffness of the cross-linked RLP hydrogels. Second, glycerol was incorporated into the hydrogels to endow adhesive properties. Next, a graphene-RLP conjugate was synthesized for cross-linking with the unmodified, pristine RLP to form an integrated network. The obtained hybrid hydrogel could be stretched to over four times of its original length, and self-adhered to diverse substrate surfaces due to its high adhesion strength of ∼24 kPa. Furthermore, the hybrid hydrogel showed high sensitivity, with a gauge factor of 3.4 at 200% strain, and was capable of real-time monitoring human activities such as finger bending, swallowing, and phonating. Due to these favorable attributes, the graphene/resilin hybrid hydrogel was a promising material for use in wearable sensors. In addition, the above material design and functionalization strategy may provide intriguing opportunities to generate innovative materials for broad applications.
将可拉伸性、粘附性和导电性等多种功能集成在单一的蛋白质水凝胶上，对于各种应用来说是非常理想的，但这仍然是一个挑战。在这里，我们展示了基于天然橡胶状材料弹性蛋白的多功能水凝胶的开发，弹性蛋白具有出色的拉伸性和弹性。首先，通过生物合成方法合成了具有不同分子量的基因工程弹性蛋白样蛋白（RLP），以调节交联 RLP 水凝胶的机械强度和刚性。其次，将甘油掺入水凝胶中，赋予其粘附性能。接下来，合成了石墨烯-RLP 缀合物，用于与未修饰的原始 RLP 交联，形成集成网络。所得的杂化水凝胶可以拉伸至其原始长度的四倍以上，由于其高粘附强度（约 24kPa），可以自粘附在各种基底表面上。此外，杂化水凝胶具有高灵敏度，在 200%应变下的应变系数为 3.4，可以实时监测人类活动，如手指弯曲、吞咽和发声。由于这些优良的特性，石墨烯/弹性蛋白杂化水凝胶是一种很有前途的可用于可穿戴传感器的材料。此外，上述材料设计和功能化策略可能为广泛应用的创新材料提供了有趣的机会。
