title: Liquid proteins--a new frontier for biomolecule-based nanoscience.
abstract: Solid, liquid, or gas? The physical states adopted by nano-objects such as proteins are critically dependent on the size and range of the intermolecular attractive forces, and as a consequence, pure liquids comprising solventless melts of structurally intact, discrete functional nanoconstructs are conspicuously absent. Here we describe how globular proteins can be surface-engineered such that anhydrous powders of these nanoscale objects melt at close to room temperature to produce solvent-free liquids comprising exceedingly high concentrations of structurally and functionally intact biomolecules. These liquids offer unprecedented opportunities in bionanomaterials research, represent a new phase for protein chemistry, and challenge the existing paradigm on the role of water molecules in protein folding and function.
authors: Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom. chawp@bristol.ac.uk
authors: Adam W
authors: AW
authors: Perriman
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Mann
mesh_terms: D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D044367:Phase Transition; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins