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Biocatalytic Feedback‐Driven Temporal Programming of Self‐Regulating Peptide Hydrogels
Author(s) -
Heuser Thomas,
Weyandt Elisabeth,
Walther Andreas
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201505013
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , peptide , computer science , transient (computer programming) , fluidics , chemistry , activator (genetics) , nanotechnology , materials science , engineering , biochemistry , organic chemistry , gene , aerospace engineering , operating system
Abstract Switchable self‐assemblies respond to external stimuli with a transition between near‐equilibrium states. Although being a key to present‐day advanced materials, these systems respond rather passively, and do not display autonomous dynamics. For autonomous behavior, approaches must be found to orchestrate the time domain of self‐assemblies, which would lead to new generations of dynamic and self‐regulating materials. Herein, we demonstrate catalytic control of the time domain of pH‐responsive peptide hydrogelators in a closed system. We program transient acidic pH states by combining a fast acidic activator with the slow, enzymatic, feedback‐driven generation of a base (dormant deactivator). This transient state can be programmed over orders of magnitude in time. It is coupled to dipeptides to create autonomously self‐regulating, dynamic gels with programmed lifetimes, which are used for fluidic guidance, burst release, and self‐erasing rapid prototyping.