POLY 232 |
| Single tail peptide-amphiphiles1 (PAs) are a new class of biomaterials that, along with other peptide based self-assembling nanomaterials,2 are finding applications in many fields ranging from nanotechnology to tissue engineering. It has been found that for many single tail PAs the self-assembly leads to the formation of nanofibers, structurally similar to cylindrical micelles, in which the hydrophobic tails pack in the core of the fiber while the hydrophilic peptide is displayed on the fiber's surface. Since the discovery of fiber forming, single tail, PAs their self-assembly process was thought to occur mainly as a result of the hydrophobic interactions between aliphatic carbon tails. Further investigations suggested that the ?-sheet formation between the peptide region of a molecule may play a crucial role in directing the self-assembly into nanofibers as opposed to spherical micelles or vesicles. In the present study we elucidate the importance of hydrogen bonding for the stability of the nanofibers as well as their influence on the nanostructural morphology. |
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7th International Biorelated Polymers Symposium
8:30 AM-12:40 PM, Monday, 11 September 2006 San Francisco Marriott -- Salon 14/15, Oral
Division of Polymer Chemistry |