Biological systems can create materials with intricate structures and specialized functions. In comparison, precise control of structures in human-made materials has been challenging. Here we report on insect cuticle peptides that spontaneously form nanocapsules through a single-step solvent exchange process, where the concentration gradient resulting from the mixing of water and acetone drives the localization and self-assembly of the peptides into hollow nanocapsules. The underlying driving force is found to be the intrinsic affinity of the peptides for a particular solvent concentration, while the diffusion of water and acetone creates a gradient interface that triggers peptide localization and self-assembly. This gradient-mediated self-assembly offers a transformative pathway towards simple generation of drug delivery systems based on peptide nanocapsules.
CITATION STYLE
Li, H., Qian, X., Mohanram, H., Han, X., Qi, H., Zou, G., … Yu, J. (2024). Self-assembly of peptide nanocapsules by a solvent concentration gradient. Nature Nanotechnology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-024-01654-w
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