(636c) Programming Hierarchical Supramolecular Architecture in Biomaterials

Creating soft materials with the tunable hierarchical structures observed in nature using supramolecular self-assembly remains an enormous challenge. Synthetic hierarchical systems have been reported, but strategies to reversibly modulate their structure and function are largely unknown. I will describe our recent discovery of such a system based on peptide-DNA supramolecular fibers that can organize reversibly into hydrogel networks containing bundles of twisted fibers. Molecular dynamic simulations explain that weak inter- and intra-fiber interactions promote hierarchical assemblies by enabling large scale redistribution of monomers. By exploring the desired energy scales of the cohesive interactions, we were able to derive design rules to encode similar dynamic hierarchical behavior in other supramolecular materials. Lastly, I will show how we utilized these reconfigurable materials to induce reversible changes in the phenotypes of neuronal cells.