Wang Lei, Solin Niclas
School of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, 525000, Maoming, China.
Electronic and Photonic Materials, Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, Linköping University, SE-58183, Linköping, Sweden.
Chempluschem. 2024 Dec;89(12):e202400512. doi: 10.1002/cplu.202400512. Epub 2024 Nov 6.
The concept of combining mixing of solids by milling (a type of mechanochemistry) with aqueous self-assembly provides interesting possibilities for energy efficient production of advanced nanomaterials. Many proteins are outstanding building blocks for self-assembly, a prominent example being the conversion of proteins into protein nanofibrils (PNFs) - a structure related to amyloid fibrils. PNFs have attractive mechanical properties and have a tendency to form ordered materials. They are accordingly of interest as materials for bioplastics and potentially also for more high-tech applications. In this concept article we highlight our effort on valorization of such proteins with hydrophobic organic compounds such an organic dyes and drug molecules, by developing scalable methodology combining mechanochemistry and self-assembly. Compared to more established methodology, mechanochemical methodology is a valuable complement as it allows potential scalable production of hybrids between e. g. proteins and highly hydrophobic compounds - a class of hybrid material that is difficult to access by other means. This may allow for development of sustainable processes for fabrication of advanced protein-based materials derivable from renewable source materials.
通过研磨（一种机械化学方法）使固体混合与水相自组装相结合的概念，为高效生产先进纳米材料提供了有趣的可能性。许多蛋白质是自组装的出色构建单元，一个突出的例子是蛋白质转化为蛋白质纳米纤维（PNF）——一种与淀粉样纤维相关的结构。PNF具有吸引人的机械性能，并且倾向于形成有序材料。因此，它们作为生物塑料材料以及潜在地用于更多高科技应用都备受关注。在这篇概念文章中，我们重点介绍了通过开发结合机械化学和自组装的可扩展方法，将此类蛋白质与疏水性有机化合物（如有机染料和药物分子）进行增值利用的工作。与更成熟的方法相比，机械化学方法是一种有价值的补充，因为它能够潜在地实现例如蛋白质与高度疏水性化合物之间的杂化物的可扩展生产——这是一类难以通过其他方式获得的杂化材料。这可能有助于开发从可再生源材料衍生的先进蛋白质基材料的可持续制造工艺。
