Assembled peptoid crystalline nanomaterials as carbonic anhydrase mimics for promoted hydration and sequestration of CO2

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) mimics have received significant attention due to their promising applications in the enhanced hydration and sequestration of CO2. Herein, we report the assembly of sequence-defined peptoids into crystalline nanomaterials with controlled microenvironment of active sites as CA mimics for promoted hydration and sequestration of CO2. By incorporating specific ligands into self-assembling peptoids and coordinating these ligands with metal cations, we synthesize a variety of crystalline nanosheets and nanotubes as efficient CA mimics comparable to natural bovine CA. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal the critical roles of peptoid-Zn2+ binding energy and the active site local microenvironment on the catalytic performance of these CA mimics. CO2 precipitation results show that these CA mimics promote the hydration and sequestration of CO2 while retaining high thermal and chemical stabilities. This study offers essential guidance for the future design of high-performance CA-mimics suitable for applications in CO2 capture and sequestration. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) mimics have promising applications in the enhanced hydration and sequestration of CO2, but limited success has so far been achieved. Here, the authors report the assembly of sequence-defined peptoids into crystalline nanomaterials with controlled microenvironment of active sites as CA mimics for promoted hydration and sequestration of CO2.