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Updated: Jul 25, 2026

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides
Published on: November 21, 2013
Self-assembly and mineralization of peptide-amphiphile nanofibers
J D Hartgerink1, E Beniash, S I Stupp
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Medical School, Northwestern University, 2225 North Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Abstract:
We have used the pH-induced self-assembly of a peptide-amphiphile to make a nanostructured fibrous scaffold reminiscent of extracellular matrix. The design of this peptide-amphiphile allows the nanofibers to be reversibly cross-linked to enhance or decrease their structural integrity. After cross-linking, the fibers are able to direct mineralization of hydroxyapatite to form a composite material in which the crystallographic c axes of hydroxyapatite are aligned with the long axes of the fibers. This alignment is the same as that observed between collagen fibrils and hydroxyapatite crystals in bone.
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