Proteins in Materials ApplicationsProteins play a vital role in countless biological proccess, inclu

Proteins in Materials Applications

Proteins play a vital role in countless biological proccess, including allowing our cells to reproduce (DNA replication), but they can also be used outside living bodies to generate biomaterials that can be used in diverse applications. Such biomaterials would be biocompatible by nature, drawing interest in the biomedical field, and are more sustainable than the common polymers that exist today as they are also typically biodegradable. In addition, proteins are made of discrete amino acid sequences, thus allowing for easy modification based on the numerous ways these can be combined.

Silk, wool, and leather are all technically protein-based materials used to create textiles for millenia. Well known proteins include silk (silk, by itself, is not a protein, but the core of silk is fibroin), collagen (the most abundant structural protein in mammalian tissues), and keratin (in hair and wool, but also the claws of reptiles and the feathers of birds) and these proteins typically have excellent strength and elasticity. In modern-day materials applications, proteins are typically processed one of three ways: into a gel, a film, or fibers.

For a few select examples: Spider silk is an example of a well-known protein that is naturally spun into fibers known as nanofibrils. Moreover, amyloid fibrils (formed from misfolded proteins) have been used in biosensing applications, for their conductivity and mechanical strength, and for water purification. They have been integrated into aerogels, which are of interest in applications ranging from thermal and acoustic insulation to water purification, to catalysis, and membranes, which have also been used for water purification by helping to remove heavy metal ions.

Protein-based materials are often created as composites, combined with other materials to produce the desired functionality. The aerogel reference above was functionalized with gold nanoparticles. The membranes for water purification were made with activated carbon as well.

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