In modern society, there is a constant need for developing reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective antibacterial materials. Here, we investigate the preparation of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)–lysozyme composite films via the well-established method of evaporation-induced self-assembly. We consider the effects of lysozyme concentration and aggregation state (native lysozyme, lysozyme amyloid fibers, and sonicated lysozyme amyloid fibers) on suspension aggregation and film-forming ability. Although at higher lysozyme loading levels (ca. 10 wt %), composite films lost their characteristic chiral nematic structuring, these films demonstrated improved mechanical properties and antibacterial activity with respect to CNC-only films, regardless of lysozyme aggregation state. We anticipate that the results presented herein could also contribute to the preparation of other CNC–protein-based materials, including films, hydrogels, and aerogels, with improved mechanical performance and antibacterial activity.

中文翻译：

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具有不同溶菌酶形态的纤维素纳米晶体-溶菌酶复合膜的组装

在现代社会中，一直需要开发可靠，可持续和具有成本效益的抗菌材料。在这里，我们研究了纤维素纳米晶体（CNC）编制-lysozyme复合薄膜通过公认的蒸发诱导自组装方法。我们考虑溶菌酶浓度和聚集状态（天然溶菌酶，溶菌酶淀粉样蛋白纤维和超声处理的溶菌酶淀粉样蛋白纤维）对悬浮液聚集和成膜能力的影响。尽管在较高的溶菌酶负载水平（约10 wt％）下，复合膜失去了其特征性的手性向列结构，但相对于仅含CNC的膜，这些膜表现出改善的机械性能和抗菌活性，而与溶菌酶的聚集状态无关。我们预计，本文介绍的结果也可能有助于制备其他基于CNC蛋白质的材料，包括具有改善的机械性能和抗菌活性的薄膜，水凝胶和气凝胶。