Chao Zhong

A polysaccharide bioprotonic field-effect transistor.

In nature, electrical signalling occurs with ions and protons, rather than electrons. Artificial devices that can control and monitor ionic and protonic currents are thus an ideal means for interfacing with biological systems. Here we report the first demonstration of a biopolymer protonic field-effect transistor with proton-transparent PdH(x) contacts. In maleic-chitosan nanofibres, the flow of protonic current is turned on or off by an electrostatic potential applied to a gate electrode. The protons move along the hydrated maleic-chitosan hydrogen-bond network with a mobility of ~4.9×10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). This study introduces a new class of biocompatible solid-state devices, which can control and monitor the flow of protonic current. This represents a step towards bionanoprotonics.

Strong underwater adhesives made by self-assembling multi-protein nanofibres

Many natural underwater adhesives harness hierarchically assembled amyloid nanostructures to achieve strong and robust interfacial adhesion under dynamic and turbulent environments. Despite recent advances, our understanding of the molecular design, self-assembly and structure-function relationships of these natural amyloid fibres remains limited. Thus, designing biomimetic amyloid-based adhesives remains challenging. Here, we report strong and multi-functional underwater adhesives obtained from fusing mussel foot proteins (Mfps) of Mytilus galloprovincialis with CsgA proteins, the major subunit of Escherichia coli amyloid curli fibres. These hybrid molecular materials hierarchically self-assemble into higher-order structures, in which, according to molecular dynamics simulations, disordered adhesive Mfp domains are exposed on the exterior of amyloid cores formed by CsgA. Our fibres have an underwater adhesion energy approaching 20.9 mJ m(-2), which is 1.5 times greater than the maximum of bio-inspired and bio-derived protein-based underwater adhesives reported thus far. Moreover, they outperform Mfps or curli fibres taken on their own and exhibit better tolerance to auto-oxidation than Mfps at pH ≥ 7.0.Many natural underwater adhesives harness hierarchically assembled amyloid nanostructures to achieve strong and robust interfacial adhesion under dynamic and turbulent environments. Despite recent advances, our understanding of the molecular design, self-assembly, and structure-function relationship of those natural amyloid fibers remains limited. Thus, designing biomimetic amyloid-based adhesives remains challenging. Here, we report strong and multi-functional underwater adhesives obtained from fusing mussel foot proteins (Mfps) of Mytilus galloprovincialis with CsgA proteins, the major subunit of Escherichia coli amyloid curli fibers. These hybrid molecular materials hierarchically self-assemble into higher-order structures, in which, according to molecular dynamics simulations, disordered adhesive Mfp domains are exposed on the exterior of amyloid cores formed by CsgA. Our fibers have an underwater adhesion energy approaching 20.9 mJ/m2, which is 1.5 times greater than the maximum of bio-inspired and bio-derived protein-based underwater adhesives reported thus far. Moreover, they outperform Mfps or curli fibers taken on their own at all pHs and exhibit better tolerance to auto-oxidation than Mfps at pH ≥7.0. This work establishes a platform for engineering multi-component self-assembling materials inspired by nature.

A facile bottom-up route to self-assembled biogenic chitin nanofibers

A facile bottom-up strategy affords cytocompatible self-assembled biogenic chitin nanofibers with diameter control. Ultrafine (3 nm) nanofibers are easily obtained from drying a chitin/hexafluoro 2-propanol solution, and larger (10 nm) nanofibers are precipitated from LiCl/N,N-dimethylacetamide upon addition of water.

H+-type and OH−-type biological protonic semiconductors and complementary devices

Proton conduction is essential in biological systems. Oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, proton pumping in bacteriorhodopsin, and uncoupling membrane potentials by the antibiotic Gramicidin are examples. In these systems, H+ hop along chains of hydrogen bonds between water molecules and hydrophilic residues – proton wires. These wires also support the transport of OH− as proton holes. Discriminating between H+ and OH− transport has been elusive. Here, H+ and OH− transport is achieved in polysaccharide- based proton wires and devices. A H+- OH− junction with rectifying behaviour and H+-type and OH−-type complementary field effect transistors are demonstrated. We describe these devices with a model that relates H+ and OH− to electron and hole transport in semiconductors. In turn, the model developed for these devices may provide additional insights into proton conduction in biological systems.

Biomimetic mineralization of acid polysaccharide-based hydrogels: towards porous 3-dimensional bone-like biocomposites

Biomimetic synthesis of bone-like composite materials is a promising strategy for the development of novel biomaterials for bone engineering applications. Most research efforts have focused on collagen or peptide-based scaffolds for bone biomineralization. Inspired by recent findings about the important role of polysaccharides in bone biomineralization, we report the use of an acid polysaccharide-based hydrogel (maleic chitosan/PEGDA hybrid hydrogel) for in vitro growth of carbonated apatite in a modified simulated body fluid (SBF) mineralization environment. The resulting mineralized porous hydrogel composites had reduced pore sizes due to direct deposition of minerals onto the wall of pores. The level of mineralization in the hydrogel composites could be controlled by mineralization time, with mineral amounts equal to 21.4 ± 0.3%, 32.5 ± 0.4% and 44.9 ± 0.6% (weight percentages) for the 3, 7 and 17-day mineralized samples, respectively. At 3 days, the mineral phase comprises spherical amorphous nanoparticles embedded within organic layers, and transformed into plate-like calcium-deficient, carbonated-substituted crystalline hydroxyapatite after 7 days. In contrast, a very small amount of mineral phase was found randomly deposited inside a pure PEGDA hydrogel even after 17-day mineralization. We suggest that acid polysaccharide-based hydrogel could not only provide reactive sites for the binding of the mineral phase (due to the functionalized carboxyl moieties in maleic chitosan), but also play an important role in stabilizing the amorphous inorganic phase at the early stage of crystallization. The porous mineralized polysaccharide-based hydrogel composites can serve as viable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Self-assembled chitin nanofiber templates for artificial neural networks

Self-assembled chitin nanofibers were applied as a biomimetic extracellular matrix for the attachment of primary neuronsin vitro. Chitin nanofiber surfaces were deacetylated to form 4 nm and 12 nm diameter chitosan nanofibers that were coupled with poly-D-lysine (PDL) to examine combinatory effects and structurally analyzed by atomic force microscopy. The chitosan substrates were then employed for mouse cortical neuron cultures to examine their capabilities to support cell attachment, neurite coverage and survival. The 4 nm chitosan nanofibers improved single cortical neuron attachment compared to the 12 nm chitosan fibers and bare glass substrates, illustrating the improved adhesive properties of the surface. Importantly, the 4 nm chitosan nanofibers with PDL supported 37.9% neuron viability compared to only 13.5% on traditional PDL surfaces after a 7-day culture period, illustrating significantly improved long-term cell viability. The nanofibrillar chitosan surface could provide an alternative substrate for in vitroprimary neuron cultures to serve as artificial neural networks for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Acid polysaccharide-induced amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) films: colloidal nanoparticle self-organization process.

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) plays important roles in biomineralization, and its synthesis in vitro has been of keen interest in the field of biomimetic materials. In this report, we describe the synthesis of ACC films using a novel acid polysaccharide, maleic chitosan, as an additive. We prepared the films by directly depositing them onto TEM grids and examined them using polarized optical microscopy (POM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with selected area electron diffraction (SAED). This enabled us to examine their formation and mesostructure without introducing artifacts. We observed that, in the presence of maleic chitosan, the ACC films are formed through a particle buildup process, with aggregation and coalescence occurring simultaneously. Nanoparticles with a size of less than 10 nm appear to be the basic units responsible for such self-organization. We suggest that the acid polysaccharide plays an important role in forming and stabilizing these nanoparticles, and we propose a colloidal nanoparticle self-organization model to explain the formation of the ACC films.

Engineering Living Functional Materials

Natural materials, such as bone, integrate living cells composed of organic molecules together with inorganic components. This enables combinations of functionalities, such as mechanical strength and the ability to regenerate and remodel, which are not present in existing synthetic materials. Taking a cue from nature, we propose that engineered ‘living functional materials’ and ‘living materials synthesis platforms’ that incorporate both living systems and inorganic components could transform the performance and the manufacturing of materials. As a proof-of-concept, we recently demonstrated that synthetic gene circuits in Escherichia coli enabled biofilms to be both a functional material in its own right and a materials-synthesis platform. To demonstrate the former, we engineered E. coli biofilms into a chemical-inducer-responsive electrical switch. To demonstrate the latter, we engineered E. coli biofilms to dynamically organize biotic-abiotic materials across multiple length scales, template gold nanorods, gold nanowires, and metal/semiconductor heterostructures, and synthesize semiconductor nanoparticles (Chen, A. Y. et al. (2014) Synthesis and patterning of tunable multiscale materials with engineered cells. Nat. Mater.13, 515–523.). Thus, tools from synthetic biology, such as those for artificial gene regulation, can be used to engineer the spatiotemporal characteristics of living systems and to interface living systems with inorganic materials. Such hybrids can possess novel properties enabled by living cells while retaining desirable functionalities of inorganic systems. These systems, as living functional materials and as living materials foundries, would provide a radically different paradigm of materials performance and synthesis–materials possessing multifunctional, self-healing, adaptable, and evolvable properties that are created and organized in a distributed, bottom-up, autonomously assembled, and environmentally sustainable manner.

Chitin nanofiber micropatterned flexible substrates for tissue engineering

Engineered tissues require enhanced organization of cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) for proper function. To promote cell organization, substrates with controlled micro- and nanopatterns have been developed as supports for cell growth, and to induce cellular elongation and orientation via contact guidance. Micropatterned ultra-thin biodegradable substrates are desirable for implantation in the host tissue. These substrates, however, need to be mechanically robust to provide substantial support for the generation of new tissues, to be easily retrievable, and to maintain proper handling characteristics. Here, we introduce ultra-thin (<10 μm), self-assembled chitin nanofiber substrates micropatterned with replica molding for engineering cell sheets. These substrates are biodegradable, mechanically strong, yet flexible, and easily manipulated into the desired shape. As a proof-of-concept, fibroblast cell proliferation, elongation, and alignment were studied on the developed substrates with different pattern dimensions. On the optimized substrates, the majority of the cells aligned (<10°) along the major axis of micropatterned features. With the ease of fabrication and mechanical robustness, the substrates presented herein can be utilized as versatile system for the engineering and delivery of ordered tissue in applications such as myocardial repair.

Taking electrons out of bioelectronics: bioprotonic memories, transistors, and enzyme logic

The ability of bioelectronic devices to conduct protons and other ions opens up opportunities to interface with biology. In this research highlight, we report on our recent efforts in bioprotonic devices. These devices monitor and modulate a current of protons with an applied voltage. Voltage-controlled proton flow mimics semiconductor devices with complementary transistors or biological behaviors such as synaptic-like memories and enzyme logic.