1H-detected solid-state NMR of proteins entrapped in bioinspired silica: a new tool for biomaterials characterization

Proton-detection in solid-state NMR, enabled by high magnetic fields (>18 T) and fast magic angle spinning (>50 kHz), allows for the acquisition of traditional H-1-N-15 experiments on systems that are too big to be observed in solution. Among those, proteins entrapped in a bioinspired silica matrix are an attractive target that is receiving a large share of attention. We demonstrate that H-1-detected SSNMR provides a novel approach to the rapid assessment of structural integrity in proteins entrapped in bioinspired silica.