The Tirrell group has well-established expertise in designing biomimetic systems that target and bind to specific macromolecules in biological systems. Capitalizing on this expertise, we are now designing material systems that use biological inspiration to target, capture, and recycle critical resources for water purification. Our materials exploit the natural ability for proteins to selectively and reversibly bind to targeted molecules and incorporate these essential binding abilities into tunable, synthetic systems. Using this biologically inspired strategy, we are pioneering and optimizing a novel approach to water purification systems.