Harnessing Gradients for Self-Assembly of Peptide-Based Nanocapsules

Biological systems ingeniously craft materials with complex structures for specialized functions, a feat often challenging to replicate in man-made materials. We report a serendipitous discovery where insect cuticle peptides (ICPs) spontaneously form nanocapsules through a single-step solvent exchange process. This phenomenon occurs as a concentration gradient, arising from the mixing of water and acetone, drives the localization and self-assembly of the peptides into hollow nanosized capsules. The intrinsic affinity of these peptides for specific solvent concentrations, coupled with the diffusion-driven gradient interface, triggers their localization and self-assembly. This gradient-mediated self-assembly process not only mimics biological systems in its simplicity and efficiency but also paves the way for next-generation drug delivery systems using ICP nanocapsules. Furthermore, it showcases the potential of protein/peptide-based materials in self-healable robotic skin, and stimuli-responsive sensors and detectors.