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Water contamination by organic pollutants is ubiquitous and hence a global concern due to detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Here, it is demonstrated that amyloid fibrils aerogels are ideal adsorbers for removing organic pollutants from water. To this end, amyloid fibrils prepared from β-lactoglobulin, the major constituent of milk whey protein, are used as building blocks for the fabrication of the aerogels. The adsorption of Bentazone, Bisphenol A, and Ibuprofen, as model pollutants, is evaluated under quasi-static conditions, without use of energy or pressure. Through adsorption by amyloid fibrils aerogel, excellent removal efficiencies of 92%, 78%, and 98% are demonstrated for Bentazone, Bisphenol A, and Ibuprofen, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum adsorption capacity of amyloid fibrils aerogel for Bentazone, Bisphenol A, and Ibuprofen is 54.2, 50.6, and 69.6 mg g-1 , respectively. To shed light on the adsorption equilibrium process, adsorption isotherms, binding constants, saturation limits, and the effect of pH are evaluated. Finally, the regeneration of the aerogel over three consecutive cycles is studied, exhibiting high reusability with no significant changes in its removal performance. These results point at amyloid fibrils aerogels as a sustainable, efficient, and inexpensive technology for alleviating the ubiquitous water contamination by organic pollutants.

Amyloid fibril-based ultralow-density aerogels are designed by functionalization with gold nanoparticles and microcrystals, leading to hybrids of unprecedented lightness and functionality. By changing the colloidal gold shape, size, and concentration, the gold composition can be tuned to reach contents ≥20 kt equivalent, yet at densities ≈10(3) lighter than any equivalent gold alloys, and combining unique features such as porosity, catalytic properties, pressure sensing, and autofluorescence.

A versatile approach to align anisotropic mesophases in the presence of magnetic nanoparticles in response to an external magnetic field is demonstrated. A memory effect is shown, as the alignment of the nanoparticles, the mesophase, and the overall birefringence can be stored, erased, and rewritten reversibly by changing the temperature and the direction of the external magnetic field.