Investigation and regulation of self-assembled well-ordered nano/microstructures via an aromatic α-amino acid

In order to invent notable biomaterials, in this research d-phenylalanine as an aromatic α-amino acid has been studied for the synthesis of well-ordered self-assembled architectures such as wires, tubes and sheets under different synthesis conditions. Multiple factors are responsible for phenylalanine formation and herein the influence of several parameters including the substrate, concentration of the amino acid, solvent, pH, and heat treatment was explored. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were used to monitor the self-assembly process. It was observed that the collective action of different non-covalent interactions plays an important role in phenylalanine self-assembly into well-defined morphologies. In fact, when it was deposited onto different substrates or dissolved in the various solvents and exposed to a certain heat treatment, different supramolecular architectures, including 1D structures, branched structures, and nanosheet arrangements were observed.