Nano-Fibrous Networks from Co-Assembly of Amphiphilic Peptide and Polyelectrolyte

Organize the matter on an increasingly small scale is sought in order to increase the performance of materials. In the case of porous materials, such as filtration membranes, a compromise must be found between the selectivity provided by this nanostructuring and a permeability in particular linked to the existing pore volume. In this work, we propose an innovative waterborne approach consisting in co-assembling peptide amphiphiles (PA) which will provide nanostructuring and polyelectrolytes which will provide them with sufficient mechanical properties to sustain water pressure. C₁₆-V₃A₃K₃G-NH₂ PA nanocylinders were synthesized and co-assembled with poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSSNa) into porous nano-fibrous network via electrostatic interactions. The ratio between C₁₆-V₃A₃K₃G-NH₂ and PSSNa was studied to optimize the material structure. Since spontaneous gelation between the two precursors does not allow the material to be shaped, various production methods have been studied, in particular via tape casting and spray-coating. Whereas self-supported membranes were mechanically weak, co-assemblies supported onto commercial ultrafiltration membranes could sustain water pressure up to 3 bars while a moderate permeability was measured confirming the existence of a percolated network. The produced membrane material falls into the ultrafiltration range with a pore radius of about 7.6 nm.