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Yu X, Hu Y, Shi H, Sun Z, Li J, Liu H, Lyu H, Xia J, Meng J, Lu X, Yeo J, Lu Q, Guo C. Molecular Design and Preparation of Protein-Based Soft Ionic Conductors with Tunable Properties. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:48061-48071. [PMID: 36245137 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c09576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based soft ionic conductors have attracted considerable research interest in recent years with great potential in applications at the human-machine interfaces. However, a fundamental mechanistic understanding of the ionic conductivity of silk-based ionic conductors is still unclear. Here, we first developed an environmental-friendly and scalable method to fabricate silk-based soft ionic conductors using silk proteins and calcium chloride. The mechanistic understanding of the ion transport and molecular interactions between calcium ions and silk proteins at variable water contents was investigated in-depth by combining experimental and simulation approaches. The results show that calcium ions primarily interact with amide groups in proteins at a low water content. The ionic conductivity is low since the calcium ions are confined around silk proteins within 2.0-2.6 Å. As water content increases, the calcium ions are hydrated with the formation of water shells, leading to the increased distance between calcium ions and silk proteins (3.3-6.0 Å). As a result, the motion of the calcium ions increased to achieve a higher ionic conductivity. By optimizing the ratio of the silk proteins, calcium ions, and water, silk-based soft ionic conductors with good stretchability and self-healing properties can be obtained. Such protein-based soft ionic conductors can be further used to fabricate smart devices such as electrochromic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Yu
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
| | - Yang Hu
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
| | - Haoyuan Shi
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York14853, United States
| | - Ziyang Sun
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
| | - Jinghang Li
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
| | - Haoran Liu
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
| | - Hao Lyu
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
| | - Jiujie Xia
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
| | - Jingda Meng
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
| | - Xingyu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Precise Synthesis of Functional Molecules of Zhejiang Province, Instrumentation and Service Centre for Molecular Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou310024, China
| | - Jingjie Yeo
- Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York14853, United States
| | - Qiyang Lu
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
- Key Laboratory of 3D Micro/Nano Fabrication and Characterization of Zhejiang Province, Westlake University, Hangzhou310024, China
| | - Chengchen Guo
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
- Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, Hangzhou310030, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou310024, China
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