Living systems rely on the energy-fueled assembly of biological building blocks such as proteins to enable vital biological functions including cellular transport, cell migration, division, and shape change. These self-assembly processes in Nature have inspired the design of synthetic systems driven by chemical fuels. The research group of Professor Zhibin Guan at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), aims to develop a general and biocompatible strategy for the self-assembly of active materials that mimic biologically-active materials. Towards this goal, his group conducts research to gain a better understanding of the processes of chemically-fueled assemblies. The research group also seeks to uncover general rules that enable predictive design of self-assembled materials. Such materials may have properties that include being adaptive, self-healing, and autonomous, offering the opportunity to seamlessly interface man-made technologies and biological systems. Students at all academic levels, including minority and women students, participating in this project gain broad training and experience in chemical synthesis, materials chemistry and materials physical property studies. In addition, Professor Guan works with the UCI Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program to develop a module that focuses on dynamic materials for a K-12 chemistry/materials science outreach effort.
Dissipative self-assembly is an out-of-equilibrium process in which consumption of a chemical fuel drives the self-assembly of materials. In living organisms, the transient self-assembly of actin networks and microtubules fueled by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and guanosine triphosphate (GTP) is at the heart of many cellular processes. While such self-assembly is common in Nature, relatively few synthetic systems of chemical-fueled dissipative assembly have been developed. The general toxicity of the chemical fuels and harsh conditions used in current man-made designs also limit their applications. To address these issues, Professor Guan's research group investigates new mild, biocompatible chemical reactions to control the self-assembly of active materials. In the first aim of this project, the reaction kinetics, redox chemical networks, and emergent properties of a model system are carefully investigated to understand and improve control of the assembly process. The second aim focuses on demonstrating the scope of the approach developed by applying this strategy to various precursors (e.g., cysteine-containing peptides). The last aim seeks to develop a novel approach that is based on photoredox chemistry to fuel an active assembly system.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
