RAPID SYNTHESIS AND SCREENING OF BIOLOGICAL/SYNTHETIC BLOCK COPOLYMERS FOR BIOELECTRONICS AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE FIBERS
Abstract
To meet the emerging demand for the next-generation materials, with tailored properties and functionalities, strategic efforts have been exerted to expediate future materials innovation. That, in turn, is to achieve the grand goal of “materials by design” in pioneering materials informatics. In nature, biology offers tremendous illustrations on informatics-driven materials manufacturing, including precision molecular design, templated materials synthesis, and predictable structures & functions. Here, we propose to synergize the bioinspired synthesis machinery, as the informatic design basis, with the synthetic manufacturing scheme towards advancing biomaterials fabrication processes. Specifically, two building-block libraries are generated: (1) bio-block that contains biomimetic functional modalities from (spider) silk and (2) synthetic-block which carries the chemically synthesized polymeric units. Furthermore, several technical strategies, including high-throughput sequencing, synthetic biology (SynBio), and microwave-assisted click chemistry, are subsequently employed to facilitate assimilating bio/synthetic blocks, yielding chimeric hybrid biopolymers. Afterwards, the material properties and functionalities of the chimeric products are characterized, and those are to further provide essential feedback for our build-and-test model in expediting material redesign of bio- and synthetic- blocks. Particularly, applications in ceramic-silk composite fibers/films as well as bio-electronics will be investigated in this research. We envision such bottom-up biodesign of de novo silk materials together with the bio-to-inorganic material integration can serve as the next-wave of materials innovation platforms that readily transform the biomaterials developmental landscape.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 20, 2023
- Source ID
- FA23862214031
Entities
People
- Hsuan-Chen Wu
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- National Taiwan University
- United States Air Force