Self-Assembly and Electrical Conductivity of a New [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]-benzothiophene (BTBT)-Peptide Hydrogel

Abstract

The conjugation of small-molecule semiconductors with self-assembling peptides is a powerful tool for the fabrication of supramolecular soft materials for organic electronics and bioelectronics. Herein, we introduced the benchmark organic semiconductor [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]-benzothiophene (BTBT) within the structure of a self-assembling amphipathic peptide. The molecular structure of the conjugate was rationally designed to favour π-π stacking between BTBT cores and π-delocalization within the self-assembled architectures. Hydrogels with fibrillar structure were obtained upon self-assembly. Spectroscopic studies confirmed that both hydrogen bonding between peptide segments and π-π stacking between BTBT chromophores are responsible for the formation of the 3D fibrillar network observed by transmission electron microscopy. The hydrogel was successfully deposited on gold interdigitated electrodes and a conductivity up to 1.6 (±0.1) × 10−5 S cm−1 was measured.

Graphene Acetic Acid‐Based Hybrid Supercapacitor and Liquid‐Gated Transistor

“…A similar procedure has already been reported to avoid “coffee rings” formation during the inkjet printing of gold nanoparticles, [ 72 ] and the deposition of [1]benzothieno[3,2‐b][1]‐benzothiophene‐peptide hydrogels. [ 73 ] Usually, organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) are based on an ultrathin organic semiconductor layer onto the channel. Therefore, the GAA 1 mg mL −1 at pH 10 was deposited onto the IDEs, in which the drop‐casting procedure was repeated three times.…”