Self-Assembly of Semiconducting Photoluminescent Peptide Nanowires in the Vapor Phase

摘要

The self-assembly of bioorganic molecules, which are ubiquitous in nature, is an attractive route for fabricating functional supramolecular architectures. It also facilitates the preparation of highly ordered nanostructures by the organization of molecular building blocks through the combination of noncovalent interactions including hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, π-π stacking, hydrophobic interactions, and dipole-dipole interactions. The fabrication of nanostructures through the self-assembly of peptides has attracted interest because of the unique properties of peptides, such as their functional flexibility and molecular recognition capability. In particular, the self-assembly of an aromatic dipeptide consisting of two covalently linked phenylalanine units (namely, diphenylalanine, FF), which is a key structural motif in Alzheimer's (3-amyloid polypeptides, serves as an excellent model because it can spontaneously form various nanostructures in aqueous or organic environments.