Terpyridine-based organic-inorganic hybrid nanofiber and its application as an adsorbent for protein

A terpyridine-based organic-inorganic hybrid amphiphile possessing a triethoxylsilane moiety was synthesized and following its self-assembly in the presence of Cu2+ ion, its binding ability of histidine and His-tag proteins was observed by UV-VIS spectroscopy, Circular dichroism spectroscopy and confocal fluorescence microscopy. The self-assembled 1 in the absence and the presence Cu2+ ion revealed a helical fiber structure, and the self-assembled 1 formed a 1:1 complex with Cu2+ ion. Histidine bound to the self-assembled 1-Cu2+ ion, but more interestingly, His-tag protein was selectively bound to the surface of the self-assembled 1-Cu2+ nanofiber. The finding indicates that the self-assembled 1-Cu2+ nanofiber selectively recognized the His-tag protein.