Molecular motor assembly of a biomimetic system

Active biological molecules and functional structures can be fabricated into a bio-mimetic system by using molecular assembly method. Such materials can be used for the drug delivery, disease diagnosis and therapy, and new nanodevice construction.     

Diatom-inspired multiscale mineralization of patterned protein–polysaccharide complex structures

Marine diatoms construct their hierarchically ordered, three-dimensional (3D) external structures called frustules through precise biomineralization processes. Recapitulating the remarkable architectures and functions of diatom frustules in artificial materials is a major challenge that has important technological implications for hierarchically ordered composites. Here, we report the construction of highly ordered, mineralized composites based on fabrication of complex self-supporting porous structures—made of genetically engineered amyloid fusion proteins and the natural polysaccharide chitin—and performing in situ multiscale protein-mediated mineralization with diverse inorganic materials, including SiO₂, TiO₂ and Ga₂O₃. Subsequently, using sugar cubes as templates, we demonstrate that 3D fabricated porous structures can become colonized by engineered bacteria and can be functionalized with highly photoreactive minerals, thereby enabling co-localization of the photocatalytic units with a bacteria-based hydrogenase reaction for a successful semi-solid artificial photosynthesis system for hydrogen evolution. Our study thus highlights the power of coupling genetically engineered proteins and polysaccharides with biofabrication techniques to generate hierarchically organized mineralized porous structures inspired by nature.     

Extraterrestrial artificial photosynthetic materials for in-situ resource utilization

Aerospace milestones in human history, including returning to the moon and manned Martian missions, have been implemented in recent years. Space exploration has become one of the global common goals, and to ensure the survival and development of human beings in the extraterrestrial extreme environment has been becoming the basic ability and technology of manned space exploration. For the purpose of fulfilling the goal of extraterrestrial survival, researchers in Nanjing University and the China Academy of Space Technology proposed extraterrestrial artificial photosynthesis (EAP) technology. By simulating the natural photosynthesis of green plants on the Earth, EAP converts CO₂/H₂O into fuel and O₂ in an in-situ, accelerated and controllable manner by using waste CO₂ in the confined space of spacecraft, or abundant CO₂ resources in extraterrestrial celestial environments, e.g. Mars. Thus, the material loading of manned spacecraft can be greatly reduced to support affordable and sustainable deep space exploration. In this paper, EAP technology is compared with existing methods of converting CO₂/H₂O into fuel and O₂ in the aerospace field, especially the Sabatier method and Bosch reduction method. The research progress of possible EAP materials for in-situ utilization of extraterrestrial resources are also discussed in depth. Finally, this review lists the challenges that the EAP process may encounter, which need to be focused on for future implementation and application. We expect to deepen the understanding of artificial photosynthetic materials and technologies, and aim to strongly support the development of manned spaceflight.     

Red blood cell membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles loaded with AIEgen and Poly(I : C) for enhanced tumoral photodynamic-immunotherapy

Red blood cell (RBC)-mimicking nanoparticles (NPs) offer a promising platform for drug delivery because of their prolonged circulation time, reduced immunogenicity and specific targeting ability. Herein, we report the design and preparation of RBC membrane-bound NPs (M@AP), for tumoral photodynamic-immunotherapy. The M@AP is formed by self-assembly of the positively charged aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen) (named P2-PPh3) and the negatively charged polyinosinic : polycytidylic acid (Poly(I : C)), followed by RBC membrane encapsulation. P2-PPh3 is an AIE-active conjugated polyelectrolyte with additional photosensitizing ability for photodynamic therapy (PDT), while Poly(I : C) serves as an immune-stimulant to stimulate both tumor and immune cells to activate immunity, and thus reduces tumor cell viability. When applied in tumor-bearing mice, the M@AP NPs are enriched in both the tumor region as a result of an enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, and the spleen because of the homing effect of the RBC-mimicking shell. Upon light irradiation, P2-PPh3 promotes strong ROS generation in tumor cells, inducing the release of tumor antigens (TA). The anti-tumor immunity is further enhanced by the presence of Poly(I : C) in M@AP. Thus, this strategy combines the PDT properties of the AIE-active polyelectrolyte and immunotherapy properties of Poly(I : C) to achieve synergistic activation of the immune system for anti-tumor activity, providing a novel strategy for tumor treatment.