Optically Controlled Peptide-Based Reconfigurable Folding via Regular Monodisperse Azobenzene Arrangement

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Materials science

Background:

• Reconfigurable nanostructures offer an alternative to traditional nanotechnology methods.
• Peptide-based supramolecular systems face challenges due to conflicting structural integrity and reconfigurability needs, stemming from poor bond orthogonality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a peptide supramolecular system that decouples framework and reconfigurable bonds.
• To create morphologically controllable 3D nanostructures from 2D peptide nanosheets.

Main Methods:

• Utilized homotetrameric peptide coiled-coils to achieve monodisperse arrangement of azobenzene molecules in a 2D plane.
• Developed monolayered peptide-AZO nanosheets (MPANs) with isolated and dispersed reconfigurable azobenzene units.
• Investigated photoinduced reversible multilayer folding of MPANs into 3D structures.

Main Results:

• Successfully created MPANs, a novel peptide supramolecular architecture.
• Achieved photoinduced reversible folding of MPANs into 3D nanostructures.
• Demonstrated tailorable surface chemistries leading to diverse 3D morphologies (accordion-like, carambola-shaped, rosette pillar-shaped).

Conclusions:

• Resolved bond orthogonality issues in peptide-based supramolecular reconfiguration.
• Provided a versatile strategy for constructing morphologically controllable nanostructures.
• Paved the way for advanced peptide nanodevices through controlled reconfiguration.