Genetically Engineered Supercharged Polypeptide Fluids: Fast and Persistent Self‐Ordering Induced by Touch |
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| Authors: | Dr Lei Zhang Chao Ma Jing Sun Dr Baiqi Shao Prof Giuseppe Portale Prof Dong Chen Prof Kai Liu Prof Andreas Herrmann |
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| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China;2. Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Groningen, The Netherlands;3. Key Laboratory of Sensor Analysis of Tumor Marker, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China;4. Institute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China;5. Present address: DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen, Germany;6. Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Mechanically induced disorder–order transitions have been studied in fluid surfactant solutions or polymer thermotropic liquid crystals. However, isothermally induced ordered phases do not persist after cessation of shear, which limits their technological applicability. Moreover, no such stimuli‐responsive materials involving biomacromolecules have been reported although biopolymer liquids are gaining a lot of attention. A biological fluid system is introduced in which anionic polypeptides are complexed with cationic surfactants. The resulting fluids exhibited very sensitive isotropic–nematic transition triggered by shear. The formed liquid crystal was preserved after cessation of mechanical stimulus. Self‐ordering behavior of the material was achieved through water flow and finger pressing. The latter mechanical induction resulted in the formation of complex pattern that can be read out by birefringence, allowing the recording of fingerprint information. |
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| Keywords: | birefringence liquid crystals phase transitions polypeptides shear |
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