Water-processable, biodegradable and coatable aquaplastic from engineered biofilms.

Petrochemical-based plastics have not only contaminated all parts of the globe, but are also causing potentially irreversible damage to our ecosystem because of their non-biodegradability. As bioplastics are limited in number, there is an urgent need to design and develop more biodegradable alternatives to mitigate the plastic menace. In this regard, we report aquaplastic, a new class of microbial biofilm-based biodegradable bioplastic that is water-processable, robust, templatable and coatable. Here, Escherichia coli was genetically engineered to produce protein-based hydrogels, which are cast and dried under ambient conditions to produce aquaplastic, which can withstand strong acid/base and organic solvents. In addition, aquaplastic can be healed and welded to form three-dimensional architectures using water. The combination of straightforward microbial fabrication, water processability and biodegradability makes aquaplastic a unique material worthy of further exploration for packaging and coating applications.

Measurement of delta(1)J((199)Hg, (31)P) in [HgPCy3(OAc)2]2 and relativistic ZORA DFT investigations of mercury-phosphorus coupling tensors.

Using 31P solid-state NMR spectroscopy, anisotropy in the indirect 199Hg-31P spin-spin coupling tensor (DeltaJ) for powdered [HgPCy3(OAc)2]2 (1) has been measured as 4700 +/- 300 Hz. Zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA) density functional theory (DFT) calculations, including scalar and spin-orbit relativistic effects, performed on 1 and a series of other related compounds show that DeltaJ(199Hg, (31)P) arises entirely from the ZORA Fermi-contact-spin-dipolar cross term. The calculations validate assumptions made in the spectral analysis of 1 and in previous determinations of DeltaJ in powder samples, namely that J is axially symmetric and shares its principal axis system with the direct dipolar coupling tensor (D). Agreement between experiment and theory for various 199Hg, 31P spin-spin coupling anisotropies is reasonable; however, experimental values of 1J(199Hg, 31P)(iso) are significantly underestimated by the calculations. The most important improvements in the agreement were obtained as a result of including more of the crystal lattice in the model used for the calculations, e.g., a change of 43% was noted for 1J(199Hg, 31P)(iso) in [HgPPh3(NO3)2]2 depending on whether the two or three nearest nitrate ions are included in the model. Finally, we have written a computer program to simulate the effects of non-axial symmetry in J and of non-coincidence of the J and D on powder NMR spectra. Simulations clearly show that both of these effects have a pronounced impact on the 31P NMR spectrum of 199Hg-31P spin pairs, suggesting that the effects should be observable experimentally if a suitable compound can be identified.

Genetically Programmable Self-Regenerating Bacterial Hydrogels.

A notable challenge for the design of engineered living materials (ELMs) is programming a cellular system to assimilate resources from its surroundings and convert them into macroscopic materials with specific functions. Here, an ELM that uses Escherichia coli as its cellular chassis and engineered curli nanofibers as its extracellular matrix component is demonstrated. Cell-laden hydrogels are created by concentrating curli-producing cultures. The rheological properties of the living hydrogels are modulated by genetically encoded factors and processing steps. The hydrogels have the ability to grow and self-renew when placed under conditions that facilitate cell growth. Genetic programming enables the gels to be customized to interact with different tissues of the gastrointestinal tract selectively. This work lays a foundation for the application of ELMs with therapeutic functions and extended residence times in the gut.

Engineered Living Materials: Prospects and Challenges for Using Biological Systems to Direct the Assembly of Smart Materials.

Vast potential exists for the development of novel, engineered platforms that manipulate biology for the production of programmed advanced materials. Such systems would possess the autonomous, adaptive, and self-healing characteristics of living organisms, but would be engineered with the goal of assembling bulk materials with designer physicochemical or mechanical properties, across multiple length scales. Early efforts toward such engineered living materials (ELMs) are reviewed here, with an emphasis on engineered bacterial systems, living composite materials which integrate inorganic components, successful examples of large-scale implementation, and production methods. In addition, a conceptual exploration of the fundamental criteria of ELM technology and its future challenges is presented. Cradled within the rich intersection of synthetic biology and self-assembling materials, the development of ELM technologies allows the power of biology to be leveraged to grow complex structures and objects using a palette of bio-nanomaterials.

Assembly of viral hydrogels for three-dimensional conducting nanocomposites.

M13 bacteriophages act as versatile scaffolds capable of organizing single-walled carbon nanotubes and fabricating three-dimensional conducting nanocomposites. The morphological, electrical, and electrochemical properties of the nanocomposites are presented, as well as its ability to disperse and utilize single-walled carbon nanotubes effectively.

Assembly of a bacteriophage-based template for the organization of materials into nanoporous networks.

M13 bacteriophages are assembled via a covalent layer-by-layer process to form a highly nanoporous network capable of organizing nanoparticles and acting as a scaffold for templating metal-oxides. The morphological and optical properties of the film itself are presented as well as its ability to organize and disperse metal nanoparticles.

Enhancement of lipid production using biochemical, genetic and transcription factor engineering approaches.

This paper compares three possible strategies for enhanced lipid overproduction in microalgae: the biochemical engineering (BE) approaches, the genetic engineering (GE) approaches, and the transcription factor engineering (TFE) approaches. The BE strategy relies on creating a physiological stress such as nutrient-starvation or high salinity to channel metabolic fluxes to lipid accumulation. The GE strategy exploits our understanding to the lipid metabolic pathway, especially the rate-limiting enzymes, to create a channelling of metabolites to lipid biosynthesis by overexpressing one or more key enzymes in recombinant microalgal strains. The TFE strategy is an emerging technology aiming at enhancing the production of a particular metabolite by means of overexpressing TFs regulating the metabolic pathways involved in the accumulation of target metabolites. Currently, BE approaches are the most established in microalgal lipid production. The TFE is a very promising strategy because it may avoid the inhibitive effects of the BE approaches and the limitation of "secondary bottlenecks" as commonly observed in the GE approaches. However, it is still a novel concept to be investigated systematically.