Two-dimensional oligoglycine tectomer adhesives for graphene oxide fiber functionalization

Abstract

Amino-terminated oligoglycine two-dimensional (2D) peptide self-assemblies (known as tectomers) have a versatile surface chemistry that allows them to interact with a variety of nanomaterials and to act as supramolecular adhesives for surface functionalization. Here, we have exploited the strong hydrogen-bond based interaction between tectomers and graphene oxide (GO) to functionalize GO fiber surfaces with different carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, carbon nanohorns, carbon nanocones, and highly fluorescent nanodiamonds), metal (gold, platinum, iron) nanoparticles, acrylate-based polymer nanoparticles, fluorophores and drugs. The resulting ultrathin coatings exhibit remarkable water resistant properties. This tectomer-mediated fiber decoration strategy allows coating functionalities to be tailored by choosing the appropriate nanomaterials or other molecules. We show that this strategy can be extended to other fibers and fabrics, such as polyurethane/PEDOT:PSS, poly(methyl methacrylate) and polyester, making it very attractive for a variety of technological and smart textile applications.

Probing the interaction between 2D materials and oligoglycine tectomers

“…On the other hand, for tectomer/ML graphene, N1s XPS spectra exhibit a 1.6 eV shift towards higher BE (figures 4(a) and (d)) that can be explained by charge transfer (n-type doping) of amino groups in tectomers into the π-system in graphene. Also, a shift of 1.6 eV in N1s XPS spectra was previously measured for other graphene-based material, such as carbon nanocones, where the donation of electrons from amino groups in tectomers to the π-system of carbon nanocones also occurs [36]. Further characterisation of tectomer/MoS 2 and tectomer/graphene hybrids by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis are shown in figures S5 and S6.…”

“…Additionally, surface amino groups in the tectomer provide remarkable adhesive properties that can be exploited to coat and provide new functions to a range of substrates by efficiently attaching a variety of molecules and nanoparticles. Previous research suggests tectomers can exhibit ambipolar charge transfer, and thus the significant areal doping when successfully interfaced with other 2D nanomaterials can be utilised for the fabrication of novel layered composite materials [35,36].…”

Self-Assembling Peptides and Carbon Nanomaterials Join Forces for Innovative Biomedical Applications

“…This section will describe the latest developments in this area, dividing the most recent reports based on the type of nanocarbon, and following a progression from 0D materials (i.e., fullerenes and carbon dots) to 1D components (i.e., CNTs), to the 2D graphene-based materials (e.g., graphene, graphene oxide or GO, and reduced graphene oxide or rGO). In some cases, more than one carbon nanostructure has been combined with self-assembling peptides in multi-component systems [ 109 , 110 , 111 ]. Recent examples are reported in Table 1 , following the same progressive order from 0D to 1D and 2D carbon nanomaterials.…”

Tectomer-Mediated Optical Nanosensors for Tyramine Determination

“…The 2D structure and surface amino groups of tectomers allow them to interact with a range of molecules and nanomaterials including metal nanoparticles as well as to different types of substrates. These adhesive properties of tectomer platelets are attractive for applications in functional coatings and sensing devices [18][19][20]. Tyramine is a biogenic amine (BA) formed by the decarboxylation of the amino acid tyrosine.…”