Organic polymers are generally regarded as thermal insulators because amorphous arrangement of molecular chains reduces the mean free path of heat-conducting phonons. However, recent studies indicated that single chains of polymers with highly oriented structures could have high thermal conductivity than bulk polymers because stretched polymer chains effectively conduct phonons through polymeric covalent bonds. Here, we demonstrated the possibility of non-covalent virus assembly prepared by simple flow-induced methods toward high thermal conductive polymeric materials. Films with high thermal diffusivity composed of non-covalent bond-based assemblies of liquid crystalline filamentous viruses were prepared using a simple flow-induced orientation method. Structural and thermal characterization demonstrated that highly oriented structures of the viruses in the film were attributed to the high thermal diffusivity. Our results will open attractive opportunities for biomolecular-based thermally conductive soft materials even though the assemblies are based on non-covalent bonds.

Polymers are generally considered thermal insulators because the amorphous arrangement of the polymeric chains reduces the mean free path of heat-conducting phonons. Recent studies reveal that individual chains of polymers with oriented structures could have high thermal conductivity, because such stretched polymeric chains effectively conduct phonons through polymeric covalent bonds. Previously, we have found that the liquid crystalline assembly composed of one of the filamentous viruses, M13 bacteriophages (M13 phages), shows high thermal diffusivity even though the assembly is based on non-covalent bonds. Despite such potential applicability of biopolymeric assemblies as thermal conductive materials, stability against heating has rarely been investigated. Herein, we demonstrate the maintenance of high thermal diffusivity in smectic liquid crystalline-oriented M13 phage-based assemblies after high temperature (150 °C) treatment. The liquid crystalline orientation of the M13 phage assemblies plays an important role in the stability against heating processes. Our results provide insight into the future use of biomolecular assemblies for reliable thermal conductive materials.