Design Principles of Peptide Based Self-Assembled Nanomaterials

Abstract

The ability to design functionalized peptide nanostructures for specific applications is tied to the ability of controlling the morphologies of the self-assembled superstructures. That, in turn, is based on a thorough understanding of the structural and environmental factors affecting self-assembly. The aim of designing self-assembling nanostructures of controlled geometries is achieved via a combination of directional and non-directional second order interactions. If the interactions are distributed in a geometrically defined way, a specific and selective supramolecular self-assembly motif is the result. In this chapter we detail the role of non-covalent interactions on the self-assembly of peptides; we will also discuss different types of peptide building blocks and design rules for engineering unnatural supramolecular structures.

Ribosomal Incorporation of Consecutive β-Amino Acids

“…Moreover, peptides bearing stretches of consecutive β-amino acids tend to form unique helical structures, such as 10-, 12-, and 14-helices, which generally have higher stabilities than the α-helices formed by canonical α-peptides. Some β-peptides can reportedly self-assemble into higher-order structures, including nanofibers, nanosheets, helical bundles, and liquid crystals, and the assembly of these structures can be more highly controlled than those consisting of α-peptides. − Due to these characteristics, many foldamers contain, or are wholly comprised of, consecutive β-amino acid residues.…”

Structural and molecular-weight-dependency in the formation of lignin nanoparticles from fractionated soft- and hardwood lignins

“…The hypothesis that micelles are formed in lignin solutions, can explain the differences in shape between LNPs from softwood and hardwood. If the formation of LNPs goes through a micelle stage, it should depend on the geometry of the lignin molecules in the initial solution, and the molecular geometry should define packing parameters and micelle shape, 45 leading to the formation not only of spherical micelles but also of tubes or vesicles 46,47 during self-assembly. Softwood kraft lignin has a lower content of methoxy groups, and a more crosslinked structure 39 than hardwood lignin, where the higher amount of methoxy groups on S-units prevents the formation of 5-5′ linkages and reduces the tendency to form branched or crosslinked structures in solution.…”

UV-enhanced NO2 gas sensors based on In2O3/ZnO composite material modified by polypeptides

“…Using polypeptides to effectively control the morphology of materials has become an important research area in nanotechnology. As reported, diphenylalanine (FF) is a typical peptide, which is a dipeptide capable of self-assemble into nanotubes, nanowires, nanofibers and various nanostructures [30][31][32][33]. These nanostructures can effectively improve the sensing ability of gas sensors.…”