Protein-Based Materials / Edition 1

by David Kaplan, Kevin McGrath

Overview

Nature learned long ago how useful proteins are as a diverse set of building blocks to make materials with very diverse properties. Spider webs, egg whites, hair follicles, and skeletal muscles are all largely protein. This book provides a glimpse into both nature's strategies for the design and production of protein-based materials, and how scientists have been able to go beyond the constraints of natural materials to produce synthetic analogs with potentially wider ranges of properties. The work presented is very much the beginning of the story. Only recently has there been much progress in obtaining a molecular understanding of some of nature's com­ plex materials, and the mimicry or replacement of these by synthetic or genetically engineered variants is a field still in its infancy. Yet this book will serve as a useful introduction for those wishing to get started in what is sure to be an active and productive field throughout the 21st century. The authors represent a wide range of interests and expertise, and the topics chosen are comprehensive. Charles R. Cantor Center for Advanced Biotechnology Boston University Series Preface The properties of materials depend on the nature of the macromolecules, small molecules and inorganic components and the interfaces and interac­ tions between them. Polymer chemistry and physics, and inorganic phase structure and density are major factors that influence the performance of materials.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780817638481
Publisher:	Birkhäuser Boston
Publication date:	12/01/1997
Series:	Bioengineering of Materials
Edition description:	1997
Pages:	430
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.04(d)

About the Author

McGrath, Kevin (U.S. Army Natick RD&E Center); Kaplan, David L. (Tufts Univ)

The contributors represent the specialties of materials science and engineering, biochemistry, and molecular biology. Most are from universities, government institutes, and private companies in the U.S. Institutions prominently represented include Univ of Massachusetts, U.S. Army Natick RD&E Center, and Protein Polymer Technologies.

Table of Contents

Section I: Production of Protein-Based Materials.- 1. Chemical Synthesis of Peptides and Polypeptides.- 2. Biosynthesis of Protein Polymers.- 3. Artificial Proteins: De Novo Design, Synthesis, and Solid-State Properties.- Section II: Useful Classes of Protein-Based Materials.- 4. Silk.- 5. Protein-Based Materials with a Profound Range of Properties and Applications: The Elastin—Tt Hydrophobic Paradigm.- 6. Protein Composite Materials.- 7. Marine Adhesives: From Molecular Dissection to Application.- Section III: Processing Issues In Protein-Based Materials.- 8. Self-Assembling Protein Systems: A Model for Materials Science.- 9. Liquid Crystalline Behavior of Proteins.- 10. The Spinning of Silklike Protein Into Fibers.- 11. Processing and Characterization of Protein Polymers.- 12. Characterization of Silk like Proteins and Processing for Biomedical Applications.

Editorial Reviews

Twelve contributions provide a comprehensive review of protein-based material systems form a materials science perspective. Arrangement is in three sections covering chemical and biological approaches; detailed introductions to the key classes of protein materials<-->silks, protein composites and elastomeric and adhesive proteins; and processing issues including liquid crystal phase formation, the spinning of protein fibers, formation of protein-based films and coatings, and self organizing protein systems. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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