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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides
Published on: November 21, 2013
Hierarchical self-assembly of a bow-shaped molecule bearing self-complementary hydrogen bonding sites into extended
Masato Ikeda1, Tadahito Nobori, Marc Schmutz
1Laboratoire de Chimie Supramoléculaire, ISIS, Université Louis Pasteur, 8, allée Gaspard Monge, BP 70028, 67083 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
Abstract:
The bow-shaped molecule 1 bearing a self-complementary DAAD-ADDA (D=donor A=acceptor) hydrogen-bonding array generates, in hydrocarbon solvents, highly ordered supramolecular sheet aggregates that subsequently give rise to gels by formation of an entangled network. The process of hierarchical self-assembly of compound 1 was investigated by the concentration and temperature dependence of UV-visible and (1)H NMR spectra, fluorescence spectra, and electron microscopy data. The temperature dependence of the UV-visible spectra indicates a highly cooperative process for the self-assembly of compound 1 in decaline. The electron micrograph of the decaline solution of compound 1 (1.0 mM) revealed supramolecular sheet aggregates forming an entangled network. The selected area electronic diffraction patterns of the supramolecular sheet aggregates were typical for single crystals, indicative of a highly ordered assembly. The results exemplify the generation, by hierarchical self-assembly, of highly organized supramolecular materials presenting novel collective properties at each level of organization.
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