Bionanoparticles: the next generation of Biopolymers?

A new paper from researchers at the University of Bayreuth in Germany examines the potential for the use of Bionanoparticles in Composite materials.

The impressive-sounding field of Bionanotechnology puts biologically based nano-scale structures (bionanoparticles) to work. Often we are talking about proteins when we talk about Bionanoparticles, though some other types of molecule can come into play, such as DNA or hybrid synthetic-biological proteins. Sections of protein structures (such as viral capsules or well-defined protein folds) are often used for a range of applications, from medical treatment to analytical tests to nanoelectronics. We could also say that biocatalysis falls under Bionanotechnology. Often, protein structures are used to fix several active particles together which can increase their productivity. For example, enzymes are sometimes fixed to a central particle by researchers in such a way that all of the active sites face outwards, which increases the efficiency of the enzyme.

However, something that hasn’t been considered in much detail before is the potential to use these structures in producing composite materials. Usually the biological activity and ability to bind various substances is the most important consideration and not the physical or mechanical properties of the particle. The properties of natural protein structures vary massively depending on a number of factors, and our efforts to understand these structures are at the cutting edge of science. Spider silk is an example of one material with useful physical properties based on its protein structure; it could be described as a fibre made of linked bionanoparticles and the resulting fibre has a higher tensile strength weight for weight than steel.

With modern genetic engineering and chemical processing technologies, there is room to expand and refine the range of bionanoparticles we can produce. More stable proteins aren’t favoured by evolution, as this makes them difficult for organisms to dispose of when they aren’t needed anymore. However, these kinds of protein could be engineered for use in high performance composite materials and produced in specially adapted microbes. There is potential to create new adhesives and resins with various finely-tuned properties by using bionanoparticles; proteins have a wide range of properties depending on their chemistry and structure. Some current work is aimed at researching the electrical properties of bionanoparticles with a view to creating electrical components, which would be a huge leap towards greener electronics. We could use existing proteins as templates when engineering bionanoparticles for materials applications; recent progress made here is examined by the paper.

What is the potential for developments in bionanotechnology regarding materials applications? As we might expect from a new field, it will be a while before we see products coming to market; the idea is still by and large one that exists in the lab. The prefixes “bio” and “nano” are sometimes seen as mere marketing gimmicks, but in this case there is genuine potential here. One of the advantages of bionanotechnology is that decades of research into biomolecular structures have given us a library of thousands of templates to use for efforts to create new biomaterials. This research could result in a plethora of new biopolymers with novel properties that are biodegradable and sustainable to produce. These polymers would be useful in specialist/high performance markets rather than in markets such as packaging where there are already a number of products meeting the needs of the sector. Where this might see use is in plastic electronics, high performance biomaterials/composites and applications from building materials to medical implants, from smart clothing to wind turbine blades.