Collaborative Research: Water-responsive, Shape-shifting Supramolecular Protein Assemblies

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目的支持下，由Jin Montclare教授（纽约大学）、Xi Chen教授（纽约市立大学高级科学研究中心）和Raymond Tu教授（纽约市立大学城市学院）组成的合作团队旨在创造能够响应相对湿度变化的可变形蛋白质组件。这项研究的灵感来自于自然界中观察到的现象，比如松果和小麦是如何传播种子的。该团队将开发蛋白质聚合物，模仿自然界中发现的蛋白质聚合物，探索它们的水响应运动，并探索材料产生的机械动力。该工作将研究：1)结构在这类蛋白质聚合物中的作用；2)蛋白质聚合物组成对水响应性的影响；3)分子组装的性质如何导致其水响应性的变化。最终目标是实现一种理解，这将允许团队设计新的水反应蛋白聚合物组件，可以有效地将运动转化为可用的能量。这可能会导致高功率移动组件的发展，用于机器人、变形和能量收集设备等广泛应用。这项高度跨学科的研究，涉及蛋白质工程、化学工程和材料科学，将为研究生、本科生和高中生提供培训。在合作推广方面，该团队将举办一年一度的“仿生技术”活动，包括纽约市当地K-12学生和教师，与最先进的科学互动，以促进对科学的兴趣，增加公众对大分子科学和工程概念的理解。蒸发引起的形态变化已被证明是一种将水的化学势转化为机械能的有效机制。由于这种特性，水响应（WR）材料可以随着相对湿度（RH）的变化而膨胀和收缩，最近的研究表明，生物水响应（WR）材料可以产生比所有已知肌肉和致动器更高的能量驱动。在这里，该团队将专注于创建可变形的蛋白质工程组件，从根本上集成纳米级结构特征，可以分层组装，并导致从水的化学势到机械运动的能量转换的宏观功能。该团队将研究超分子自组装和相分离如何影响蛋白质工程嵌段共肽（bcp）的WR特性。为了实现这一目标，该团队旨在研究：1)结构在工程bcp中的作用；2)地表块体对BCP水响应性的影响；3)超分子结构对水响应性的影响。这种基本的理解有望帮助研究人员开发一套参数，以指导高能量和功率密度的生物WR执行器的设计。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, the collaborative team consisting of Professors Jin Montclare (New York University), Xi Chen (CUNY - Advanced Science Research Center), and Raymond Tu (CUNY – City College) aim to create shape-shifting protein assemblies capable of responding to changes in relative humidity. The research is inspired by phenomena observed in nature such as how pinecones and wheat are able to dispense their seeds. The team will develop protein polymers that mimic those found in nature, explore their water-responsive motion, and explore the mechanical power generated by the material. The work will investigate: 1) the role of structure in such protein polymers; 2) the effects of protein polymer composition on water-responsiveness; and 3) how the nature of the molecular assembly leads to changes in their water-responsiveness. The ultimate goal is to achieve an understanding that will allow the team to design new water responsive protein polymers assemblies that can efficiently convert motion into usable energy. This may lead to the development of high-power moving components for widespread applications such as robotics, shape-morphing and energy harvesting devices. This highly interdisciplinary research, involving protein engineering, chemical engineering and materials science, will provide training for graduate, undergraduate, and high school students. In collaborative outreach efforts, the team will hold an annual “Biomimetic Technology” event that includes local New York City K-12 students and teachers to interact with state-of-the-art science to promote interest in science and increase public understanding of macromolecular science and engineering concepts.Evaporation-induced shape change has proven to be an efficient mechanism for the conversion of energy from water’s chemical potential to mechanical energy. Owing to this property, water responsive (WR) materials can swell and shrink in response to relative humidity (RH) changes, and recent studies have shown that biological WR materials can generate significantly higher energy actuation than all known muscles and actuators. Here, the team will focus on creating shape-shifting protein engineered assemblies that fundamentally integrate nano-scaled structural features that can hierarchically assemble and lead to macroscale function of energy conversion from the chemical potential of water to mechanical motion. The team will investigate how supramolecular self-assembly and phase separation influence the WR properties of protein engineered block-copolypeptides (BCPs). To achieve this the team aims to investigate: 1) the role of structure in the engineered BCPs; 2) the effects of the surface blocks on BCP water-responsiveness; and 3) the effect of supramolecular structure with water-responsiveness. This fundamental understanding is expected to help the researchers develop a set of parameters to inform the design of biological WR actuators with high energy and power densities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.