Enzymatic polymerization of enantiomeric L−3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine into films with enhanced rigidity and stability

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 3054
• Main Authors: Shen, Yuhe, Su, Rongxin, Hao, Dongzhao, Xu, Xiaojian, Reches, Meital, Min, Jiwei, Chang, Heng, Yu, Tao, Li, Qing, Zhang, Xiaoyu, Wang, Yuefei, Qi, Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 26.05.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 140/131; 140/133; 140/146; 140/58; 147/135; 147/143; 147/3; 631/61/54/989; 639/301/923/3931; 639/638/542/970; 639/925/357/341; Biomimetic materials; Biomimetics; Chirality; Dihydroxyphenylalanine; Enantiomers; Fabrication; Humanities and Social Sciences; Intermolecular forces; Levodopa; Mechanical properties; Melanin; Modulus of elasticity; Monomers; multidisciplinary; Mussels; Oxidation; Physicochemical properties; Polymerization; Reaction kinetics; Rigidity; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Self-assembly; Structural stability; Thermal stability; Tyrosinase
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38845-3

L −3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine is an important molecule in the adhesion of mussels, and as an oxidative precursor of natural melanin, it plays an important role in living system. Here, we investigate the effect of the molecular chirality of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine on the properties of the self-assembled films by tyrosinase-induced oxidative polymerization. The kinetics and morphology of pure enantiomers are completely altered upon their co-assembly, allowing the fabrication of layer-to-layer stacked nanostructures and films with improved structural and thermal stability. The different molecular arrangements and self-assembly mechanisms of the L+D -racemic mixtures, whose oxidation products have increased binding energy, resulting in stronger intermolecular forces, which significantly increases the elastic modulus. This study provides a simple pathway for the fabrication of biomimetic polymeric materials with enhanced physicochemical properties by controlling the chirality of monomers. L -3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine plays an important role in living system. Here, the authors investigated the effect of the molecular chirality of L -3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine on the improved structural and thermal stability of self-assembled films by tyrosinase-induced oxidative polymerization.