Journal Article

Controlled patterning of aligned self-assembled peptide nanotubes

Gazit, Ehud, Reches, Meital

2006

Overview

Controlling the spatial organization of objects at the nanoscale is a key challenge in enabling their technological application 1 , 2 , 3 . Biomolecular assemblies are attractive nanostructures owing to their biocompatibility, straightforward chemical modifiability, inherent molecular recognition properties and their availability for bottom-up fabrication 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 . Aromatic peptide nanotubes are self-assembled nanostructures with unique physical and chemical stability and remarkable mechanical rigidity 14 , 15 , 16 . Their application in the fabrication of metallic nanowires and in the improvement of the sensitivity of electrochemical biosensors have already been demonstrated 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 . Here we show the formation of a vertically aligned nanoforest by axial unidirectional growth of a dense array of these peptide tubes. We also achieved horizontal alignment of the tubes through noncovalent coating of the tubes with a ferrofluid and the application of an external magnetic field. Taken together, our results demonstrate the ability to form a two-dimensional dense array of nanotube assemblies with either vertical or horizontal patterns.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: Biomimetic Materials - chemistry / Biosensors / Chemistry and Materials Science / Crystallization - methods / Electrochemistry / Fabrication / letter / Macromolecular Substances - chemistry / Magnetic fields / Materials Science / Nanotechnology / Nanotechnology - methods / Nanotechnology and Microengineering / Nanotubes - chemistry / Nanotubes - ultrastructure / Peptides - chemistry / Protein Conformation / Rigidity