pH‐Based Regulation of Hydrogel Mechanical Properties Through Mussel‐Inspired Chemistry and Processing
- 2 October 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Advanced Functional Materials
- Vol. 23 (9), 1111-1119
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201201922
Abstract
The mechanical holdfast of the mussel, the byssus, is processed at acidic pH yet functions at alkaline pH. Byssi are enriched in Fe3+ and catechol‐containing proteins, species with chemical interactions that vary widely over the pH range of byssal processing. Currently, the link between pH, Fe3+‐catechol reactions, and mechanical function is poorly understood. Herein, it is described how pH influences the mechanical performance of materials formed by reacting synthetic catechol polymers with Fe3+. Processing Fe3+‐catechol polymer materials through a mussel‐mimetic acidic‐to‐alkaline pH change leads to mechanically tough materials based on a covalent network fortified by sacrificial Fe3+‐catechol coordination bonds. These findings offer the first direct evidence of Fe3+‐induced covalent cross‐linking of catechol polymers, reveal additional insight into the pH dependence and mechanical role of Fe3+‐catechol interactions in mussel byssi, and illustrate the wide range of physical properties accessible in synthetic materials through mimicry of mussel‐protein chemistry and processing.Keywords
This publication has 54 references indexed in Scilit:
- Mussel-Inspired Adhesives and CoatingsAnnual Review of Materials Research, 2011
- Bio-inspired design of multiscale structures for function integrationNano Today, 2011
- Biomimetic Principles in Polymer and Material ScienceMacromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 2010
- Merger of structure and material in nacre and bone – Perspectives on de novo biomimetic materialsProgress in Materials Science, 2009
- Inspiration and application in the evolution of biomaterialsNature, 2009
- Spider Silk: From Soluble Protein to Extraordinary FiberAngewandte Chemie, 2009
- Biomimetic materialsJournal of Materials Research, 2008
- Spider silks and their applicationsTrends in Biotechnology, 2008
- Biomimetic materials research: what can we really learn from nature's structural materials?Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 2007
- Mechanism of silk processing in insects and spidersNature, 2003