Structured gels

A method for forming a spatially structured clay-nanoparticle gel comprising one or more spatially structured molecule species, the method comprising:

• forming a spatially structured clay-nanoparticle gel comprising protein, by
• providing a colloidal solution of clay-nanoparticles, and
• immersing the colloidal solution of clay-nanoparticles into an aqueous assembly solution without mixing and allowing the colloidal solution of clay-nanoparticles to set via protein diffusion into a gel within the aqueous assembly solution,
• wherein a protein is provided in the aqueous assembly solution prior to, concurrently, or after the immersion of the colloidal solution of clay-nanoparticles into the aqueous assembly solution, thereby forming a clay-nanoparticle gel comprising the protein;
• and
• loading the clay-nanoparticle gel comprising protein with additional molecules comprising the step of immersing the clay-nanoparticle gel comprising protein into an aqueous loading solution,
• wherein the additional molecules are provided in the aqueous loading solution prior to, concurrently, or after the immersion of the clay-nanoparticle gel comprising protein into the aqueous loading solution, such that the additional molecules are absorbed into the clay-nanoparticle gel and spatially structured therein.