Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Programmable materials find strength in molecular repetition

Digital Image Correlation shows fracture of a synthethic protein sample.

Image: Reginald Hamilton / Penn State
Digital Image Correlation shows fracture of a synthethic protein sample.

Image: Reginald Hamilton / Penn State

Abstract:
Synthetic proteins based on those found in a variety of squid species' ring teeth may lead the way to self-healing polymers carefully constructed for specific toughness and stretchability that might have applications in textiles, cosmetics and medicine, according to Penn State researchers.



Short repetitive protein vs. long repetitive protein

Credit:Melik Demirel / Penn State

Programmable materials find strength in molecular repetition

University Park, PA | Posted on May 23rd, 2016

"We looked at what is common among squid teeth proteins for all species of squid we studied," said Abdon Pena-Francesch, graduate student in engineering science and mechanics. "We observed which properties changed dramatically for each set of proteins."

Huihun Jung, a Ph.D. student in Melik Demirel's lab group, looked at four squid species from around the world -- Hawaiian bobtail squid, long-finned squid, European squid and Japanese flying squid.

"It was a mystery why nature uses more than one protein to make the ring teeth in the suckers," said Demirel, professor of engineering science and mechanics. "Why did we need so many? It turns out that each has different mechanical properties."

The proteins in ring teeth are semicrystalline, a combination of crystalline and amorphous pieces. The natural proteins also have varying repeats, amino acid strings that repeat themselves once or many times. These repeats alter the lengths of the protein. However, a clear understanding of the function of these repeats was not known.

After sequencing the various squid proteins, the researchers put together a variety of synthetic ring teeth proteins with varying numbers of repeats. They report their results in the current online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"There has been a lot of work done making structures to mimic proteins," said Demirel, who is also a member of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. "People have looked at the structure of proteins in silk, the elastin in skin, the resilin in insect wings and collagen in a large set of structures, but no one has looked at squid in this way. Squid mimics have not been done before."

Together with Benjamin Allen, research associate in biochemistry and molecular biology and the Huck Institutes, the Demirel group made varying lengths of amino acid strings -- polypeptides -- and found that in the synthetic material, toughness and extensibility increase as the molecular weight increases. The longer the polypeptide chain, the greater the molecular weight. They also found that the balance between elasticity -- how much the material will stretch without deforming -- and plasticity -- the point at which it will deform -- remained unchanged.

"We can control which amino acids we use, so we can control the molecular weights," said Pena-Francesch. "We can design each segment and see what fundamentals of mechanics apply."

The researchers suggest that "the repetitions in native squid proteins could have a genetic advantage for increased toughness and flexibility."

"We found that the shortest polypeptide chains were brittle," said Demirel. "As they get longer, they are stretchy."

The structural properties in this material are highly programmable. Extremely elastic materials, like the amorphous portion of these proteins, absorb energy and are useful in things like automobile bumpers, while the crystalline portion acts like a spring and is more like the material in a car's dashboard. The proper balance of each could provide the desired materials characteristics.

Their building blocks, the synthetic amino acids, are produced by bacteria so that harvesting of live squid is no longer necessary. Also, the synthetic materials are self-healing, so small cracks and breaks can be repaired. Demirel and his team note that the synthetic mimic of the squid ring teeth proteins can be processed to form a variety of 3-dimensional shapes including ribbons, lithographic patterns and nanotubes with a vast array of potential uses.

###

Also working on this project were Reginald F. Hamilton, assistant professor in engineering science and mechanics and the Materials Research Institute; Alham Saadat and Aswathy Sebastian, technicians in biochemistry and molecular biology and the Huck Institutes; Istvan Albert, professor of bioinformatics and member of the Huck Institutes; and Dong Hwan Kim, undergraduate in biology. The researchers have filed a preliminary patent application on this work.

The Office of Naval Research and the Army Research Office.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
A'ndrea Elyse Messer

814-865-9481

Copyright © Penn State

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Portable Raman analyzer detects hydrogen leaks from a distance: Device senses tiny concentration changes of hydrogen in ambient air, offering a dependable way to detect and locate leaks in pipelines and industrial systems April 25th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Tumor microenvironment dynamics: the regulatory influence of long non-coding RNAs April 25th, 2025

Ultrafast plasmon-enhanced magnetic bit switching at the nanoscale April 25th, 2025

Videos/Movies

New X-ray imaging technique to study the transient phases of quantum materials December 29th, 2022

Solvent study solves solar cell durability puzzle: Rice-led project could make perovskite cells ready for prime time September 23rd, 2022

Scientists prepare for the world’s smallest race: Nanocar Race II March 18th, 2022

Visualizing the invisible: New fluorescent DNA label reveals nanoscopic cancer features March 4th, 2022

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

Rice researchers harness gravity to create low-cost device for rapid cell analysis February 28th, 2025

Department of Energy announces $71 million for research on quantum information science enabled discoveries in high energy physics: Projects combine theory and experiment to open new windows on the universe January 17th, 2025

Quantum engineers ‘squeeze’ laser frequency combs to make more sensitive gas sensors January 17th, 2025

Chainmail-like material could be the future of armor: First 2D mechanically interlocked polymer exhibits exceptional flexibility and strength January 17th, 2025

Possible Futures

Lattice-driven charge density wave fluctuations far above the transition temperature in Kagome superconductor April 25th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Tumor microenvironment dynamics: the regulatory influence of long non-coding RNAs April 25th, 2025

Ultrafast plasmon-enhanced magnetic bit switching at the nanoscale April 25th, 2025

Nanotubes/Buckyballs/Fullerenes/Nanorods/Nanostrings

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Chainmail-like material could be the future of armor: First 2D mechanically interlocked polymer exhibits exceptional flexibility and strength January 17th, 2025

Innovative biomimetic superhydrophobic coating combines repair and buffering properties for superior anti-erosion December 13th, 2024

Catalytic combo converts CO2 to solid carbon nanofibers: Tandem electrocatalytic-thermocatalytic conversion could help offset emissions of potent greenhouse gas by locking carbon away in a useful material January 12th, 2024

Nanomedicine

Tumor microenvironment dynamics: the regulatory influence of long non-coding RNAs April 25th, 2025

Next-generation drug delivery innovation! DGIST develops precision therapeutics using exosomes April 25th, 2025

Multiphoton polymerization: A promising technology for precision medicine February 28th, 2025

Rice researchers harness gravity to create low-cost device for rapid cell analysis February 28th, 2025

Discoveries

Lattice-driven charge density wave fluctuations far above the transition temperature in Kagome superconductor April 25th, 2025

An earth-abundant mineral for sustainable spintronics: Iron-rich hematite, commonly found in rocks and soil, turns out to have magnetic properties that make it a promising material for ultrafast next-generation computing April 25th, 2025

HKU physicists uncover hidden order in the quantum world through deconfined quantum critical points April 25th, 2025

Nanophotonic platform boosts efficiency of nonlinear-optical quantum teleportation April 25th, 2025

Materials/Metamaterials/Magnetoresistance

An earth-abundant mineral for sustainable spintronics: Iron-rich hematite, commonly found in rocks and soil, turns out to have magnetic properties that make it a promising material for ultrafast next-generation computing April 25th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Chainmail-like material could be the future of armor: First 2D mechanically interlocked polymer exhibits exceptional flexibility and strength January 17th, 2025

Enhancing transverse thermoelectric conversion performance in magnetic materials with tilted structural design: A new approach to developing practical thermoelectric technologies December 13th, 2024

Announcements

Portable Raman analyzer detects hydrogen leaks from a distance: Device senses tiny concentration changes of hydrogen in ambient air, offering a dependable way to detect and locate leaks in pipelines and industrial systems April 25th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Tumor microenvironment dynamics: the regulatory influence of long non-coding RNAs April 25th, 2025

Ultrafast plasmon-enhanced magnetic bit switching at the nanoscale April 25th, 2025

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Nanophotonic platform boosts efficiency of nonlinear-optical quantum teleportation April 25th, 2025

Quantum sensors tested for next-generation particle physics experiments: New research shows that the specialized sensors can detect particles more precisely April 25th, 2025

Portable Raman analyzer detects hydrogen leaks from a distance: Device senses tiny concentration changes of hydrogen in ambient air, offering a dependable way to detect and locate leaks in pipelines and industrial systems April 25th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Patents/IP/Tech Transfer/Licensing

Getting drugs across the blood-brain barrier using nanoparticles March 3rd, 2023

Study finds nanomedicine targeting lymph nodes key to triple negative breast cancer treatment: In mice, nanomedicine can remodel the immune microenvironment in lymph node and tumor tissue for long-term remission and lung tumor elimination in this form of metastasized breast cance May 13th, 2022

Metasurfaces control polarized light at will: New research unlocks the hidden potential of metasurfaces August 13th, 2021

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Announces Closing of Agreement with Takeda November 27th, 2020

Military

Quantum engineers ‘squeeze’ laser frequency combs to make more sensitive gas sensors January 17th, 2025

Chainmail-like material could be the future of armor: First 2D mechanically interlocked polymer exhibits exceptional flexibility and strength January 17th, 2025

Single atoms show their true color July 5th, 2024

NRL charters Navy’s quantum inertial navigation path to reduce drift April 5th, 2024

Textiles/Clothing

This new fabric coating could drastically reduce microplastic pollution from washing clothes: University of Toronto Engineering researchers are working on a fabric finish to prevent microplastic fibres from shedding during laundry cycles January 27th, 2023

Protective equipment with graphene nanotubes meets the strictest ESD safety standards March 25th, 2022

Polymer fibers with graphene nanotubes make it possible to heat hard-to-reach, complex-shaped items February 11th, 2022

Flexible material shows potential for use in fabrics to heat, cool July 3rd, 2020

Personal Care/Cosmetics

DGIST and New Life Group launched a research project on "Functional beauty and health products using the latest nanotechnology" May 12th, 2023

A Comprehensive Guide: The Future of Nanotechnology September 13th, 2018

Graphene finds new application as anti-static hair dye: New formula works as well as commercial permanent dyes without chemically altering hairs March 22nd, 2018

Common nanoparticle has subtle effects on oxidative stress genes May 11th, 2016

Nanobiotechnology

Tumor microenvironment dynamics: the regulatory influence of long non-coding RNAs April 25th, 2025

Next-generation drug delivery innovation! DGIST develops precision therapeutics using exosomes April 25th, 2025

Multiphoton polymerization: A promising technology for precision medicine February 28th, 2025

Rice researchers harness gravity to create low-cost device for rapid cell analysis February 28th, 2025

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project