Construction of Peptide Amphiphile-Coated Coacervates with Selective Permeability

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Coacervates are liquid-liquid phase-separated droplets with tunable properties.
• Stabilizing coacervates and controlling their surface characteristics is crucial for applications.
• Membrane integration offers a route to modify coacervate properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a functional coacervate system using peptide-based nanovesicles.
• To investigate the electrostatic interactions driving nanovesicle localization on coacervates.
• To demonstrate the control over coating formation and the resulting selective permeability.

Main Methods:

• Assembly of elastin-like peptide-block-collagen-like peptides (ELP-CLP) into nanovesicles.
• Localization of negatively charged ELP-CLP vesicles onto positively charged polyelectrolyte coacervates via electrostatic interactions.
• Systematic variation of formulation parameters (surface charge, mixing protocols, component addition order) to control coating.
• Assessment of molecular diffusion across the functionalized coacervate surface based on molecular weight.

Main Results:

• Successful formation of ELP-CLP nanovesicle coatings on polyelectrolyte coacervates.
• Coating formation is dependent on electrostatic attraction between vesicles and coacervates.
• Formulation parameters significantly influence the coating process and its success.
• The ELP-CLP coated coacervates exhibit selective permeability, controlling diffusion based on molecular weight.

Conclusions:

• ELP-CLP nanovesicles can be effectively localized onto polyelectrolyte coacervates through electrostatic interactions.
• The coating process is controllable by adjusting formulation parameters.
• This novel surface modification imparts selective permeability to coacervate systems.
• Potential applications include advanced materials with tailored diffusion properties.