The self-assembly of proteins into nanostructured materials provides an attractive method for the fabrication of a wide variety of new functional materials, including tissue engineering gels, biosensors, biocatalysts, fuel cells, and controlled release materials.Although proteins are amino acid polymers, theirsequence specificity and perfectly monodisperse composition impart them with complex hierarchical structures and specific interactions that are not observed in synthetic polymers.Using a diverse set of model materials, we show how these complex shapes and interactions affect self-assembly in protein-polymer hybrids and the dynamics of these molecules.
