Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155.
Silklab, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Oct 22;116(43):21361-21368. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1911563116. Epub 2019 Oct 7.
Protein micro/nanopatterning has long provided sophisticated strategies for a wide range of applications including biointerfaces, tissue engineering, optics/photonics, and bioelectronics. We present here the use of regenerated silk fibroin to explore wrinkle formation by exploiting the structure-function relation of silk. This yields a biopolymer-based reversible, multiresponsive, dynamic wrinkling system based on the protein's responsiveness to external stimuli that allows on-demand tuning of surface morphologies and properties. The polymorphic transitions of silk fibroin enable modulation of the wrinkle patterns and, consequently, the material's physical properties. The interplay between silk protein chains and external stimuli enables control over the protein film's wrinkling dynamics. Thanks to the versatility of regenerated silk fibroin as a technological substrate, a number of demonstrator devices of varying utility are shown ranging from information encoding to modulation of optical transparency and thermal regulation.
蛋白质的微纳图案化长期以来为包括生物界面、组织工程、光学/光子学和生物电子学等在内的广泛应用提供了复杂的策略。我们在这里展示了利用再生丝素蛋白来探索皱纹形成的方法，利用了丝的结构-功能关系。这产生了一种基于生物聚合物的可逆、多响应、动态皱纹系统，该系统基于蛋白质对外部刺激的响应，允许按需调整表面形貌和性能。丝素蛋白的多态性转变能够调节皱纹图案，从而调节材料的物理性质。丝蛋白链与外部刺激的相互作用使我们能够控制蛋白质薄膜的皱纹动力学。由于再生丝素蛋白作为一种技术基底的多功能性，我们展示了许多不同用途的演示器设备，从信息编码到光学透明度和热调节的调制。
