基于核酸和蛋白的生物大分子热致液晶研究进展

摘要

Biomacromolecules, such as DNA, protein and virus, can only undergo thermal degradation because their dimensions exceed the range of their intermolecular forces.Hence the formation of solvent-free biomacromolecular liquid and liquid crystal materials remains a significant challenge.Here, we briefly introduce the preparation and characterization of solvent-free biomacromolecular liquid crystal materials. Lamellar mesophases of solvent-free thermotropic liquid crystals are formed by electrostatic complexation of biomacromolecules and oppositely charged surfactants.These thermotropic liquid crystals retain the ordering and fluidity of biomolecules, providing great opportunities for their technical applications in water-free environments.%生物固体大分子诸如核酸、蛋白和病毒颗粒,因其尺寸超出了分子间作用力的范围,升温之后会导致它们降解而无法形成生物大分子的液体形态.因此,发展新型的合成和制备策略,实现无溶剂包覆的生物大分子的流体态及其应用,是一个崭新的研究领域.结合我们前期工作,简要介绍了核酸、蛋白流体(液晶态和液体态)材料的制备及性质.借助静电力自组装,上述生物大分子能够与带有相反电荷的表面活性剂结合,形成热致液晶材料,其热致液晶性质使得生物分子具有长程有序性和流动性,在此基础上,可以探索生物大分子在无水环境下的技术应用.