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May 20-21, 2019 | Vienna, Austria
Biomaterials and Nanomaterials &
Materials Physics and Materials Science
2
nd
International Conference on
Journal of Materials Science and Nanotechnology | Volume 3
Disordered proteins: A new avenue towards hierarchical functional materials
Sherif Elsharkawy
King’s College London, UK
T
here is growing evidence that intrinsically disordered
proteins (IDPs) play a fundamental role inmineralization.
IDPscontributeinintermolecularinteractionsattheprotein–
mineral interface. Here we report a protein-mediated
mineralization process that takes advantage of disorder-
order interplay using elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs) to
program organic-inorganic interactions into hierarchically-
orderedmineralized structures. During crosslinking process,
ELRs self-assemble into a dense network of nanofibers and
homogenously distributed three-dimensional (3D) ELR
spherulites. Upon incubation in a solution supersaturated
with respect to apatite, the materials comprise elongated
apatite nanocrystals that are aligned and organized into
microscopic prisms, which grow together into spherulite-
like structures hundreds of microns in diameter. Given, the
vast clinical need and potential impact of engineering more
efficient materials to replace lost/diseased enamel, we
conducted in vitro proof-of-concept studies to investigate
the potential use of the hierarchical mineralized structures
for dentin hypersensitivity as a mineralizing bandage to
occlude exposed dentinal tubules. We confirmed that the
hierarchically mineralized membranes grew, adhered, and
conformed to the surface of the etched dental tissues.
Integration between the hierarchical structures and the
dental tissues was observed at the dentin-membrane
interface, where the nanocrystals infiltrated and blocked
dentinal tubules. The mineralized structures exhibited
comparable acid resistance to dental enamel. Our approach
takes advantage of the disordered nature of ELR molecules
to trigger a supramolecularly organized organic framework
capable of controllably templating the growth of apatite
crystals at multiple length scales. This mechanism goes
beyond biomimicry and opens up the possibility to not only
modulatemineralization but also to explore ways of utilizing
disorder-order interplay for the generation of functional
materials. The study represents a potential strategy for
complex materials design that may open opportunities
for hard tissue repair and provide insights into the role of
molecular disorder in human physiology and pathology.
e
:
sherif.elsharkawy@kcl.ac.uk