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    Self-assembly of sustainable plant protein protofilaments into a hydrogel for ultra-low friction across length scales

    Year: 2024

    Authors: Pabois, Olivia; Dong, Yihui; Kampf, Nir; Lorenz, Christian D.; Doutch, James; Avila-Sierra, Alejandro; Ramaioli, Marco; Mu, Mingduo; Message, Yasmin; Liamas, Evangelos; Tyler, Arwen I. I.; Klein, Jacob; Sarkar, Anwesha

    Keywords: Nanoscale biophysics; Self-assembly

    Designing plant protein-based aqueous lubricants can be of great potential to achieve sustainability objectives by capitalising on inherent functional groups without using synthetic chemicals; however, such a concept remains in its infancy. Here, we engineer a class of self-assembled sustainable materials by using plant-based protofilaments and their assembly within a biopolymeric hydrogel giving rise to a distinct patchy architecture. By leveraging physical interactions, this material offers superlubricity with friction coefficients of 0.004-to-0.00007 achieved under moderate-to-high (102-to-103 kPa) contact pressures. Multiscale experimental measurements combined with molecular dynamics simulations reveal an intriguing synergistic mechanism behind such ultra-low friction - where the uncoated areas of the protofilaments glue to the surface by hydrophobic interactions, whilst the hydrogel offers the hydration lubrication. The current approach establishes a robust platform towards unlocking an untapped potential of using plant protein-based building blocks across diverse applications where achieving superlubricity and environmental sustainability are key performance indicators.
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