Bio-Inspired Materials

Researchers from Wuhan University of Technology, in collaboration with Peter Fratzl from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, designed carboxyl-functionalized gold nanoclusters as novel noncollagenous protein analogues and revealed for the first time the decisive regulatory role of ligand chain length-dependent interfacial properties on collagen mineralization patterns: short-chain ligands stabilize liquid precursors for intrafibrillar mineralization, while long-chain ligands promote rapid extrafibrillar mineralization. This study provides molecular-level insights for the design of biomimetic high-performance bone repair materials.

Researchers from Wuhan University of Technology developed carboxyl-functionalized gold nanoparticles as novel noncollagenous protein analogues to construct a nanoparticle-induced liquid precursor (NILP) system, achieving single-step biomimetic dentin remineralization and near-infrared-responsive antibacterial functionalization. The remineralized dentin restores mechanical properties comparable to healthy dentin and exhibits excellent biocompatibility, providing a structure–function integrated strategy for dental caries treatment. Published in ACS Nano.