Charge Directed Selective Co-Assembly of Ionic Complementary Peptide Binary Mixtures.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Supramolecular Chemistry

Background:

• Multicomponent peptide nanostructures are promising for functional materials.
• Controlling the co-assembly of these peptides is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of electrostatic molecular recognition for selective co-assembly of peptide mixtures.
• To understand how charge distribution, stoichiometry, and pH affect assembly behavior and material properties.

Main Methods:

• Utilized five amphiphilic ionic peptide binary mixtures (M1-M5).
• Manipulated mixing stoichiometry and pH to observe co-assembly.
• Analyzed nanofiber morphology, network structure, and hydrogel viscoelasticity.

Main Results:

• Charge distribution dictates beta-sheet alignment, assembly kinetics, and hydrogel properties.
• pH significantly impacts co-assembly, with optimal interactions between pH 5-7.
• Stoichiometry influences morphology, leading to self-sorted or hetero-aggregated structures.

Conclusions:

• Electrostatic interactions provide precise control over peptide nanostructure formation.
• Tuning charge complementarity, ionization state, and stoichiometry enables rational design of peptide-based materials.
• This work offers a framework for developing advanced functional peptide materials.