Electrodeposited Lamellar Photoconductor Nanohybrids Driven by Peptide Self-Assembly

Aromatic organic molecules serve as optoelectronic materials owing to their intrinsic optical and electronic properties. Herein, self-assembled lamellar nanostructures as photoconductor hybrids, which are obtained from naphthalene-2-methoxycarbonyl (Nmoc)-capped peptide amphiphiles, are described. Hybrid nanostructures are constructed in a controlled manner by an electrochemical deposition technique in combination with the inorganic Zn(OH)₂ phase. Inorganic Zn(OH)₂ layers turn into semiconductor ZnO layers upon annealing at 150 °C and lamellar nanostructures are formed in a periodic manner. Synergistic effects of hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking interactions of aromatic peptide amphiphiles are the driving force for the formation of self-assembled lamellar nanostructures. Morphological, structural, and optical studies of such lamellar hybrid nanostructures are reported. Photoconduction of these hybrid nanostructures is also examined in detail.