Abstract
The powerful functions of materials in the living world utilize supramolecular systems in which molecules self-assemble through noncovalent connections programmed by their structures. This process is of course also programmed by the nature of the chemical environment in which the structures form introducing the potential to autonomously use external energy inputs partly derived from fuel molecules. Our laboratory has focused over the past three decades on integrating this notion of bioinspired supramolecular engineering into the design of novel materials. We present here three projects on functional supramolecular materials that address important societal needs for our future. The first is inspired by the photosynthetic machinery of green plants, creating materials that harvest light to produce fuels for sustainable energy systems. The second example is that of life-like robotic materials that imitate living creatures and effectively transduce different types of energy into mechanical actuation and locomotion of objects for future technologies. The third topic is supramolecular biomaterials that mimic extracellular matrices and provide unprecedented bioactivity to regenerate tissues to achieve longer “healthspans” for humans. In this example, we discuss a recent breakthrough in the structural design of supramolecular motion, which surprisingly led to biomaterials with the potential to reverse paralysis by repairing the brain and the spinal cord.
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Acknowledgments
We thank R. Shah for providing the previously unpublished scanning electron micrograph shown in Figure 1b and M. Seniw for various illustrations reprinted here.
Funding
Experimental work in the Stupp laboratory was supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award No. DE-SC002088 (for characterization of PA molecular dynamics and the structure and alloying of PMI chromophore amphiphile supramolecular polymers); the Center for Bio-Inspired Energy Science, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, under Award No. DE-SC0000989 (for photocatalytic and soft robotic materials and for supramolecular bundles); the National Science Foundation under Award No. NSF DMR-1508731 (for the hybrid bonding polymers); and the Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine at the Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology (for biological studies).
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Stupp, S.I., Palmer, L.C. New frontiers in supramolecular design of materials. MRS Bulletin (2024). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43577-024-00669-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/s43577-024-00669-x