The Penn State Research Foundation

Mert Vural

Melik Demirel

Mauricio Terrones

Yu Lei

Ibrahim Tarik Ozbolat

Provided are compositions that include at least one two-dimensional layer of an inorganic compound and at least one layer of an organic compound in the form of one or more polypeptides. Methods of making and using the materials are provided. The organic layer contains one or more polypeptides, each of which have alternating repeats of crystallite-forming subsequences and amorphous subsequences. The crystallite-forming subsequences form crystallites comprising stacks of one or more beta-sheets. The amorphous subsequences form a network of hydrogen bonds. A method includes i) combining one or more polypeptides with an inorganic material and an organic solvent, and ii) depositing one or more polypeptides, the inorganic material and the organic solvent onto a substrate. These steps can be repeated to provide a composite material that is a multilayer composite material. The composite materials can be used in a wide array of textile, electronic, semi-conducting, and other applications.

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Mert Vural