Cytoskeleton-inspired artificial protein design to enhance polymer network elasticity.

Reducing topological network defects to enhance elasticity in polymeric materials remains a grand challenge. Efforts to control network topology, primarily focused on crosslinking junctions, continue to underperform compared to theoretical estimations from idealized networks using affine and phantom network theories. Here, artificial protein technology was adapted for the design of polymer-network hydrogels with precisely defined coil-like and rod-like strands to observe the impact of strand rigidity on the mechanical properties of polymeric materials.