Fabrication of polypyrrole nano-arrays in lysozyme single crystals

Abstract

A template-directed method for the synthesis and organization of partially oxidized polypyrrole (PPy) nanoscale arrays within the solvent channels of glutaraldehyde-cross-linked lysozyme single crystals is presented. Macroscopic single crystals of the periodically arranged protein–polymer superstructure are electrically conductive, insoluble in water and organic solvents, and display increased levels of mechanical plasticity compared with native cross-linked lysozyme crystals.