Download MendeleyWater-regulated viscosity-plasticity phase transitions in a peptide self-assembled muscle-like hydrogel.
Fang, Y., Shi, J., Liang, J., Ma, D., Wang, H.(2025) Nat Commun 16: 1058-1058
- PubMed: 39865087
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56415-7
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
8ZM0 - PubMed Abstract:
The self-assembly of small molecules through non-covalent interactions is an emerging and promising strategy for building dynamic, stable, and large-scale structures. One remaining challenge is making the non-covalent interactions occur in the ideal positions to generate strength comparable to that of covalent bonds. This work shows that small molecule YAWF can self-assemble into a liquid-crystal hydrogel (LCH), the mechanical properties of which could be controlled by water. LCH can be used to construct stable solid threads with a length of over 1 meter by applying an external force on 2 µL of gel solution followed by water-regulated crystallization. These solid threads can support 250 times their weight. Cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) analysis unravels the three-dimensional structure of the liquid-crystal fiber (elongated helix with C2 symmetry) at an atomic resolution. The multiscale mechanics of this material depend on the specificity of the molecular structure, and the water-controlled hierarchical and sophisticated self-assembly.
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
Organizational Affiliation:
