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

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学计划的支持下，由纽约大学金·蒙克莱尔教授、城市大学高级科学研究中心陈曦教授和城市大学城市学院杜雷蒙教授组成的合作团队致力于创造能够响应相对湿度变化的变形蛋白质组件。这项研究的灵感来自于在自然界中观察到的现象，比如松果和小麦是如何分发种子的。该团队将开发模拟自然界中发现的蛋白质聚合物，探索其对水的响应运动，并探索材料产生的机械动力。这项工作将研究：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；以及3)分子组装的性质如何导致其水响应性的变化。最终目标是达成一项理解，使团队能够设计能够有效地将运动转化为可用能量的新的水响应性蛋白质聚合物组件。这可能会导致高功率运动部件的开发，用于机器人、形状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。在合作推广工作中，该团队将举办一年一度的“仿生技术”活动，包括纽约市当地的K-12学生和教师与最先进的科学互动，以促进人们对科学的兴趣，并增加公众对大分子科学和工程概念的理解。蒸发诱导的形状变化已被证明是将能量从水的化学势转化为机械能的一种有效机制。由于这一特性，水响应性(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WR材料可以产生比所有已知肌肉和执行器更高的能量驱动。在这里，该团队将专注于创造变形蛋白质工程组件，从根本上整合纳米级结构特征，这些结构特征可以分级组装，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多肽(BCP)的WR特性。为了实现这一目标，该团队的目标是调查：1)结构在工程BCP中的作用；2)表面块对BCP水响应性的影响；以及3)超分子结构对水响应性的影响。这一基本认识有望帮助研究人员开发一套参数，为设计具有高能量和功率密度的生物WR执行器提供信息。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.