TY - JOUR

T1 - Hybrid Amyloid-Chitin Nanofibrils for Magnetic and Catalytic Aerogels

AU - Peydayesh, Mohammad

AU - Boschi, Enrico

AU - Bagnani, Massimo

AU - Tay, Daniel

AU - Donat, Felix

AU - Almohammadi, Hamed

AU - Li, Mingqin

AU - Usuelli, Mattia

AU - Shiroka, Toni

AU - Mezzenga, Raffaele

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 American Chemical Society

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - In the quest for a sustainable and circular economy, it is essential to explore environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional petroleum-based materials. A promising pathway toward this goal lies in the leveraging of biopolymers derived from food waste, such as proteins and polysaccharides, to develop advanced sustainable materials. Here, we design versatile hybrid materials by hybridizing amyloid nanofibrils derived by self-assembly of whey, a dairy byproduct, with chitin nanofibrils exfoliated from the two distinct allomorphs of α-chitin and β-chitin, extracted from seafood waste. Various hydrogels and aerogels were developed via the hybridization and reassembly of these biopolymeric nanobuilding blocks, and they were further magnetized upon biomineralization with iron nanoparticles. The pH-phase diagram highlights the significant role of electrostatic interactions in gel formation, between positively charged amyloid fibrils and negatively charged chitin nanofibrils. Hybrid magnetic aerogels exhibit a ferromagnetic response characterized by a low coercivity (<50 Oe) and a high specific magnetization (>40 emu/g) at all temperatures, making them particularly suitable for superparamagnetic applications. Additionally, these aerogels exhibit a distinct magnetic transition, featuring a higher blocking temperature (200 K) compared to previously reported similar nanoparticles (160 K), indicating enhanced magnetic stability at elevated temperatures. Finally, we demonstrate the practical application of these hybrid magnetic materials as catalysts for carbon monoxide oxidation, showcasing their potential in environmental pollution control and highlighting their versatility as catalyst supports.

AB - In the quest for a sustainable and circular economy, it is essential to explore environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional petroleum-based materials. A promising pathway toward this goal lies in the leveraging of biopolymers derived from food waste, such as proteins and polysaccharides, to develop advanced sustainable materials. Here, we design versatile hybrid materials by hybridizing amyloid nanofibrils derived by self-assembly of whey, a dairy byproduct, with chitin nanofibrils exfoliated from the two distinct allomorphs of α-chitin and β-chitin, extracted from seafood waste. Various hydrogels and aerogels were developed via the hybridization and reassembly of these biopolymeric nanobuilding blocks, and they were further magnetized upon biomineralization with iron nanoparticles. The pH-phase diagram highlights the significant role of electrostatic interactions in gel formation, between positively charged amyloid fibrils and negatively charged chitin nanofibrils. Hybrid magnetic aerogels exhibit a ferromagnetic response characterized by a low coercivity (<50 Oe) and a high specific magnetization (>40 emu/g) at all temperatures, making them particularly suitable for superparamagnetic applications. Additionally, these aerogels exhibit a distinct magnetic transition, featuring a higher blocking temperature (200 K) compared to previously reported similar nanoparticles (160 K), indicating enhanced magnetic stability at elevated temperatures. Finally, we demonstrate the practical application of these hybrid magnetic materials as catalysts for carbon monoxide oxidation, showcasing their potential in environmental pollution control and highlighting their versatility as catalyst supports.

KW - amyloid fibrils

KW - chitin nanofibrils

KW - exfoliation

KW - hybridization

KW - magnetic aerogels

KW - self-assembly

U2 - 10.1021/acsnano.4c00883

DO - 10.1021/acsnano.4c00883

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38345899

AN - SCOPUS:85185612411

VL - 18

SP - 6690

EP - 6701

JO - A C S Nano

JF - A C S Nano

SN - 1936-0851

IS - 8

ER -