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Tuning Crystallization Pathways through the Mesoscale Assembly of Biomacromolecular Nanocrystals
Author(s) -
Tao Fei,
Han Qian,
Liu Kaiqiang,
Yang Peng
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201706843
Subject(s) - crystallization , macromolecule , nanocrystal , nanotechnology , macromolecular substances , materials science , biomineralization , crystal (programming language) , chemistry , chemical engineering , computer science , biochemistry , organic chemistry , engineering , programming language
Macromolecular crystallization has many implications in biological and materials science. Similar to the crystallization of other molecules, macromolecular crystallization conventionally considers a critical nucleus, followed by crystallographic packing of macromolecules to drive further crystal growth. Herein, we discover a distinctive macromolecular crystallization pathway by developing the concept of a macromolecular mesocrystal. This nonclassical polymer crystallization occurs through the mesoscale self‐assembly of (bio)macromolecular nanocrystals. The new concept for macromolecular crystallization presented herein is fundamental and relevant to many fields, including materials science, chemistry, biomimetics, nanoscience, and structural biology.