Preparation, characterization and application of a protein hydrogel with rapid self‐healing and unique autofluoresent multi‐functionalities

A smart hydrogel with dual self‐healing and autofluoresent functionalities is presented. The protein hydrogel is fabricated by denaturing bovine serum albumin in a basic environment. Upon gelation, autofluorescence is induced and the protein hydrogel can be excited by a wide range of spectrum, ranging from 320 to 520 nm. It was also found that the as‐prepared autofluorescent protein hydrogel possessed rapid and repetitive self‐healing...