Silica Aerogel Microcompartments with On-Demand Reactivation Enable Mimicry of Natural Resurrection

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Abstract Mimicking natural resurrection remains extraordinarily challenging. Herein, we report dormant aerogel-based synthetic microcompartments fabricated via a water-in-oil emulsion strategy to produce polyelectrolyte–surfactant complex membrane-coated mesoporous silica aerogel microcompartments loaded with various bioactive enzymes. The dormant aerogel microcompartments feature a high specific surface area (>500 m2/g), mesoporosity, and a superhydrophilic aerogel framework composed of SiO2 nanoparticles. Upon rehydration, the nanoscale capillarity of the aerogel framework, combined with its superhydrophilicity, drives rapid water uptake and recover activity of encapsulated glucose oxidase (Gox), horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and Urease. These dormant aerogel-based biomimetic microcompartments exhibit exceptional robustness: after exposure to elevated temperatures (≤180 °C), high-irradiance illumination, or pulsed electric fields, they recover substantial enzymatic activity, outperforming matched controls. Spatial programming of multiple dormant microcompartments within segregated soft architectures enables hydration-gated chemical communication, as demonstrated by color change in an artificial flower. Furthermore, a chitosan/poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) bilayer flower embedding three types of dormant microcompartments (Gox@SiO2, HRP@SiO2, and Urease@SiO2) achieves reversible, enzyme-programmed morphochromic and shape actuation over repeated cycles. These dormant aerogel-based microcompartments provide a materials strategy that couples reversible biochemical reactivation with intercompartmental communication and macroscopic deformation, advancing aerogel biomimetics from structural mimicry toward functional actuation. This system provides a robust model for compartmentalized biocatalysis, signal transduction, and soft-matter actuation, enabling studies of mimicking a natural resurrection process.