Imagine thousands of copies of a single protein organizing
into a coat of chainmail armor that protects the wearer from harsh and
ever-changing environmental conditions. That is the case for many
microorganisms. In a new study, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have uncovered key
details in this natural process that can be used for the self-assembly of
nanomaterials into complex two- and three-dimensional structures.