[Adv. Mater.] A Superhydrophobic Surface Templated by Protein Self-Assembly and Emerging Application toward Protein Crystallization
writer：Aiting Gao, Qian Wu, Dehui Wang, Yuan Ha, Zhijun Chen and Peng Yang*
keywords：Lysozyme, Surface Modification, Phase Transition, Superhydrophobic, Protein Crystallization
source：期刊
specific source：Advanced Materials 2016, 28, 579-587.
Issue time：2016年
Superhydrophobic surfaces have demonstrated their great values in modern material science. As a result, the preparation of such a surface is continuously appealing to academics and industries. Conventional material sources to construct a superhydrophobic surface include synthetic organic/inorganic and metal substances. Herein, we reported a new type of material source as natural protein capable of forming a superhydrophobic surface. This strategy is achieved by the lysozyme phase transition process. Through this mechanism, a surface of organic, inorganic or metallic material could be densely covered by a structured protein coating at ambient aqueous condition. The resultant surface structuration is effective enough to offer superhydrophobicity after the coating is further hydrophobized by low suface energy molecules. The obtained superhydrophobic coating shows the thermo-stability in -196~200 ℃ and mechanical robustness towards the adhesive tape peeling as well as finger-wipe. On this newly developed platform, the new application as protein crystallization has been demonstrated for the first time, and we conclude that the superhydrophobic surface is favorable to prepare protein crystals in large scale, low concentration and patterned deposition. This method features its extreme simplicity and mild condition as well as fastness, thereby, holds promising biomedical applications.