Strong, Tough, Stretchable, and Self-Adhesive Hydrogels from Intrinsically Unstructured Proteins

Adv Mater. 2017 Mar;29(10). doi: 10.1002/adma.201604743. Epub 2017 Jan 6.

Abstract

Strong, tough, stretchable, and self-adhesive hydrogels are designed with intrinsically unstructured proteins. The extraordinary mechanical properties exhibited by these materials are enabled by an integration of toughening mechanisms that maintain high elasticity and dissipate mechanical energy within the protein networks.

Keywords: bioinspired materials; hydrogels; recombinant proteins; unstructured polypeptides.

MeSH terms

  • Adhesives
  • Elasticity
  • Hydrogels / chemistry*
  • Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
  • Proteins

Substances

  • Adhesives
  • Hydrogels
  • Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
  • Proteins