Programmable supramolecular polymerizations

\u3cp\u3eLiving large: Rational design of self-assembly pathways has been demonstrated in supramolecular polymers. By controlling the concentration of an aggregation-competent monomer through intramolecular interactions, living supramolecular polymerization conditions were achieved. This universal approach can be used to obtain aggregates of well-defined length and narrow dispersity, and allows access to new supramolecular polymer architectures.\u3c/p\u3

A stochastic view on surface inhomogeneity of nanoparticles

\u3cp\u3eThe interactions between and with nanostructures can only be fully understood when the functional group distribution on their surfaces can be quantified accurately. Here we apply a combination of direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) imaging and probabilistic modelling to analyse molecular distributions on spherical nanoparticles. The properties of individual fluorophores are assessed and incorporated into a model for the dSTORM imaging process. Using this tailored model, overcounting artefacts are greatly reduced and the locations of dye labels can be accurately estimated, revealing their spatial distribution. We show that standard chemical protocols for dye attachment lead to inhomogeneous functionalization in the case of ubiquitous polystyrene nanoparticles. Moreover, we demonstrate that stochastic fluctuations result in large variability of the local group density between particles. These results cast doubt on the uniform surface coverage commonly assumed in the creation of amorphous functional nanoparticles and expose a striking difference between the average population and individual nanoparticle coverage.\u3c/p\u3

Unidirectional living growth of self-assembled protein nanofibrils revealed by super-resolution microscopy

\u3cp\u3eProtein-based nanofibrils are emerging as a promising class of materials that provide unique properties for applications such as biomedical and food engineering. Here, we use atomic force microscopy and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy imaging to elucidate the growth dynamics, exchange kinetics, and polymerization mechanism for fibrils composed of a de novo designed recombinant triblock protein polymer. This macromolecule features a silk-inspired self-assembling central block composed of GAGAGAGH repeats, which are known to fold into a β roll with turns at each histidine and, once folded, to stack, forming a long, ribbon-like structure. We find several properties that allow the growth of patterned protein nanofibrils: the self-assembly takes place on only one side of the growing fibrils by the essentially irreversible addition of protein polymer subunits, and these fibril ends remain reactive indefinitely in the absence of monomer ( living ends ). Exploiting these characteristics, we can grow stable diblock protein nanofibrils by the sequential addition of differently labeled proteins. We establish control over the block length ratio by simply varying monomer feed conditions. Our results demonstrate the use of engineered protein polymers in creating precisely patterned protein nanofibrils and open perspectives for the hierarchical self-assembly of functional biomaterials.\u3c/p\u3

Unidirectional living growth of self-assembled protein nanofibrils revealed by super-resolution microscopy

Protein-based nanofibrils are emerging as a promising class of materials that provide unique properties for applications such as biomedical and food engineering. Here, we use atomic force microscopy and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy imaging to elucidate the growth dynamics, exchange kinetics, and polymerization mechanism for fibrils composed of a de novo designed recombinant triblock protein polymer. This macromolecule features a silk-inspired self-assembling central block composed of GAGAGAGH repeats, which are known to fold into a β roll with turns at each histidine and, once folded, to stack, forming a long, ribbon-like structure. We find several properties that allow the growth of patterned protein nanofibrils: the self-assembly takes place on only one side of the growing fibrils by the essentially irreversible addition of protein polymer subunits, and these fibril ends remain reactive indefinitely in the absence of monomer ("living ends"). Exploiting these characteristics, we can grow stable diblock protein nanofibrils by the sequential addition of differently labeled proteins. We establish control over the block length ratio by simply varying monomer feed conditions. Our results demonstrate the use of engineered protein polymers in creating precisely patterned protein nanofibrils and open perspectives for the hierarchical self-assembly of functional biomaterials

Mechanical properties of single supramolecular polymers from correlative AFM and fluorescence microscopy

We characterize the structure and mechanical properties of 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxamide (BTA) supramolecular polymers using correlative AFM and fluorescence imaging. AFM allows for nanoscale structural investigation but we found that statistical analysis is difficult because these structures are easily disrupted by the AFM tip. We therefore correlate AFM and fluorescence microscopy to couple nanoscale morphological information to far-field optical images. A fraction of the immobilized polymers are in a clustered or entangled state, which we identify based on diffraction limited fluorescence images. We find that clustered and entangled polymers exhibit a significantly longer persistence length that is broader distributed than single unentangled polymers. By comparison with numerical simulations we find significant heterogeneity in the persistence length of single unentangled polymers, which we attribute to polymer–substrate interactions and the presence of structural diversity within the polymer