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Peptide nanotube nematic phase.

S Bucak¹, C Cenker, I Nasir

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey. seyda@yeditepe.edu.tr

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|March 12, 2009

Summary

The short peptide (ala)6-lys (A6K) forms hollow nanotubes in water above a critical concentration. These positively charged nanotubes exhibit charge stabilization and form an ordered nematic phase.

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Area of Science:

Biophysical Chemistry
Materials Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Short peptides can self-assemble into functional nanostructures.
Understanding peptide self-assembly is crucial for designing novel nanomaterials.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the self-assembly behavior of the trifluoroacetate salt of (ala)6-lys (A6K) in aqueous solutions.
To characterize the resulting nanostructures and their properties.

Main Methods:

Cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) for high-resolution imaging.
Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for structural analysis.
Varying peptide concentrations to determine critical assembly points.

Main Results:

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A6K remains molecularly dispersed below approximately 12% concentration.
Above the critical concentration, A6K self-assembles into hollow nanotubes.
Nanotubes exhibit a monodisperse cross-sectional radius of 26 nm and lengths of several micrometers.
The nanotubes are positively charged and thus charge-stabilized.
The high aspect ratio of the nanotubes leads to an ordered, likely nematic, phase.

Conclusions:

A6K self-assembly is concentration-dependent, forming stable nanotubes.
Charge stabilization plays a key role in the formation and stability of these peptide nanotubes.
The observed nematic phase highlights the potential for ordered materials from peptide self-assembly.