Hybrid Hydrogels Composed of Regularly Assembled Filamentous Viruses and Gold Nanoparticles

Novel hybrid hydrogels composed of tag-peptides (antigens) displaying filamentous viruses and antibody-immobilized gold nanoparticles (GNPs) through specific interactions between the two components were constructed. The strength of the antigen-antibody interactions greatly affected the macroscopic mechanical properties. The phages and the GNPs in the hydrogels formed lyotropic liquid crystals and well-ordered network structures, respectively. It was suggested that the structurally much different components were cooperatively assembled into the highly regular structures through time-dependent cross-linking processes. This hybrid hydrogel of visible and huge components will open attractive opportunities for the science and technology of next-generation soft materials.