(15g) Protein-Engineered Hybrid Nanomaterials with Complex Morphologies

In nature, biological processes are regulated by a variety of protein domains that specifically interact. Strategies that exploit such interactions between proteins and inorganics have emerged as a biomimetic strategy to construct hybrid nanomaterials. For example, peptides, proteins, or protein nano-assemblies that are involved in natural or synthetic biomineralization have been engineered and used for hybrid material fabrication. However, controls over the dimension or morphology of resulting hybrid structures have been challenged by limited availability of robust biotemplates or complicated material assembly pathways. In this work, we present an approach to complex-nanostructured hybrid materials that are created by de novo design of versatile nanoscale protein-cage templates. Recombinant protein building blocks were created by modularly and genetically integrating multiple types of protein domains that self-assemble or interact with non-biological components such as synthetic polymers or inorganic materials. The programmed self-assembling interactions between the building blocks directed assembly of protein nanocages that self-templated formation of hybrid nanostructures. In this protein-engineered hybrid nanomaterials, polymeric or inorganic nanoparticles were inserted and placed inside the protein nanocages, resulting in jingle bell or pomegranate-like morphologies. These hybrid materials present a unique structural feature that nanoscale confined space is provided between protein layers and inserted materials. We demonstrate material morphology tunability, mechanisms that describe complicated interactions between proteins and synthetic components, and potential applications using optically or electronically active hybrid materials.