Crystalline Amyloid Structures at Interfaces

摘要

Molecular self-assembly is now widely recognized as being able to generate ordered structures through weak (noncova-lent) interactions. This may take place in bulk, leading, for instance, to protein crystallization under adapted physico-chemical conditions, and at interfaces as well. In the latter case, ordering can provide nanostructured interfaces useful to materials scientists to generate templates able to direct the growth of another organic or inorganic structure.'2' When biological molecules are considered, this interfacial organization can in addition be relevant to pathological or functional adsorption onto living surfaces.'31 The example of peptide interfacial self-assembly that we present in this paper shows this dual feature.