Conductive protein materials are promising candidates for next‐generation bioelectronics due to their genetically‐customizable functionalities, biocompatibility, and bioactivity. We envision that they could be used in a variety of bio‐friendly functional devices, including bio‐electronic interfaces, bio‐energy devices, and sensors. However, their practical uses are limited by gaps in our understanding of charge transport in proteins, and by challenges in establishing reliable data collection methods. Moreover, characterization protocols are not always designed with applications in mind, which hinders engineering developments. Here, we review the effects of sample preparation, environmental conditions (ie, hydration level, pH, temperature), measurement scale (nano, micro, and macro), and geometrical considerations, on the measured electrical properties of proteins. We emphasize the need for standardized methods and collaborations across fields for the design of conductive protein materials, keeping in mind their end goal applications. Our objective for this review is to disentangle the knowledge on protein conductivity, and to clarify the current challenges, limitations, and future possibilities for these biological conductors.

中文翻译：

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工程导电蛋白纤维面临的挑战：分解知识

导电蛋白材料具有可遗传定制的功能，生物相容性和生物活性，因此有望成为下一代生物电子学的候选材料。我们设想它们可以用于各种生物友好的功能设备，包括生物电子接口，生物能源设备和传感器。但是，它们的实际应用受到我们对蛋白质中电荷传输的理解的空白以及建立可靠数据收集方法的挑战的限制。此外，表征协议并非总是在考虑应用程序的情况下设计的，这阻碍了工程技术的发展。在这里，我们回顾了样品制备，环境条件（即水合度，pH，温度），测量范围（纳米，微观和宏观）以及几何因素的影响，蛋白质的电性能 我们强调导电蛋白材料设计需要跨领域的标准化方法和合作，同时牢记其最终目标应用。这篇综述的目的是弄清蛋白质电导率的知识，并阐明这些生物导体的当前挑战，局限性和未来可能性。