Lysozyme crystallization in transparent silica-coated liquid marble

This study investigated the crystallization of lysozyme within a transparent liquid marble. The findings show that, compared with glass and superhydrophobic substrates, the lysozyme crystals in liquid marble are not only uniform in size and distribution but also have a larger particle size. Notably, a new phenomenon of interfacial adherent crystallization of lysozyme in liquid marble has been observed. This finding indicates that liquid marble creates a microenvironment that is beneficial for lysozyme crystallization. These improvements can be attributed to several factors, including the coating of silica nanoparticles on the liquid surface, which facilitates evaporation; the electrostatic interactions between the nanoparticles and lysozyme molecules; the formation of a micro/nano-concavity structure; and the provision of heterogeneous nucleation sites. Collectively, these elements promote the nucleation and growth of lysozyme crystals. Additionally, the transparency of the liquid marble enables real-time observation of crystal growth, offering a novel experimental method for protein crystallization studies. The results of this investigation demonstrate the advantages of liquid marbles as microreactors in the crystallization domain, particularly in optimizing the crystallization conditions and enhancing the crystal quality.