OUR MISSION
Green Materials Production Inspired by Nature
Nature has something to teach humans about how to make better materials in a more sustainable way.
Our group wants to understand biological material processing and apply it to fabricate novel materials.
Liquid Crystals to Fibers
Mussels create self-healing fibers known as byssal threads from tiny protein vesicles, which rapidly self-assemble. The bright color indicates that proteins are liquid crystalline, meaning they have an ordered arrangement, but flow like a liquid. This pre-ordering helps achieve high structural order necessary for material performance.
Stiff Fibers from Sticky Slime
The hunting slime of velvet worm transform into stiff polymeric fibers in mid-air. With our collaborators, we discovered mechanoresponsive protein-lipid nanoglobules in the slime, which are the key to this remarkable behavior. Fibers are fully recyclable, providing scientists with an excellent role model for circular materials processing.