Tunichrome-Inspired Gold-Enrichment Dispersion Matrix and Its Application in Water Treatment: A Proof-of-Concept Investigation.

Tunicate, a filter-feeder in seawater, is able to accumulate high amount of metals using intracellular polymer matrices. The woven pyrogallol structures of tunichrome, a small peptide contained in tunicate's blood cells, is believed to be responsible for selective metal sequestration in tunicates from seawater. However, the intriguing tunichrome matrix is difficult both to harvest from the tunicate and to synthesize massively due to the extreme oxidation sensitivity of the pyrogallol moiety which limits the study scope.