Ionic liquid

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Metal-organic framework

Enzyme

Biomineralization

Biocatalysis

Crystallization

Biocomposite

Composite number

Mineralization (soil science)

Adsorption

Engineering

Catalysis

Composite material

Chemistry

Materials science

Macromolecule

Horseradish peroxidase

Metal

Chemical engineering

Nitrogen

Biochemistry

Nature Communications

Enhancing the robustness of functional biomacromolecules is a critical challenge in biotechnology, which if addressed would enhance their use in pharmaceuticals, chemical processing and biostorage. Here we report a novel method, inspired by natural biomineralization processes, which provides unprecedented protection of biomacromolecules by encapsulating them within a class of porous materials termed metal-organic frameworks. We show that proteins, enzymes and DNA rapidly induce the formation of protective metal-organic framework coatings under physiological conditions by concentrating the framework building blocks and facilitating crystallization around the biomacromolecules. The resulting biocomposite is stable under conditions that would normally decompose many biological macromolecules. For example, urease and horseradish peroxidase protected within a metal-organic framework shell are found to retain bioactivity after being treated at 80 °C and boiled in dimethylformamide (153 °C), respectively. This rapid, low-cost biomimetic mineralization process gives rise to new possibilities for the exploitation of biomacromolecules.

Biomimetic mineralization of metal-organic frameworks as protective coatings for biomacromolecules