Recognition and assembly using protein “building blocks”

Abstract A new approach to materials design is presented, utilizing specific recognition and assembly of proteins at the molecular level. The approach exploits the control over polymer chain microstructure afforded by biosynthesis to produce protein‐based materials with precisely defined physical properties. Incorporated into these materials are recognition elements that stringently control the placement and organization of each chain within higher order superstructures. The proteins, designated Recognin A2 through Recognin E2, are recombinant polypeptides designed de novo from both natural consensus sequences and an appreciation of the physical principles governing biological recognition. The synthesis and characterization of the protein recognition elements is briefly described and initial studies on self‐assembly‐recognition patterns using surface plasmon resonance and circular dichroism are presented. A subset of these materials are programmed to spontaneously assembly into complex, multicomponent structures and represent a first step in a rational approach to nanometer‐scale structural design.