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Thiolated Lysine-Leucine Peptides Self-Assemble into Biosilica Nucleation Pits on Gold Surfaces

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  • Hao Lu, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany
  • Yeneneh Yimer, University of Washington, United States
  • Ruediger Berger, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany
  • Mischa Bonn, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany
  • Jim Pfaendtner, University of Washington, United States
  • Tobias Weidner

Nanostructured silica architectures have led to many applications in electronic and optical devices, and catalysis. Recently, bioinspired approaches based on peptide-assisted silica fabrication have attracted great attention because of low production cost and mild, sustainable fabrication methods. Herein it is demonstrated that biomimetic peptides can also exert control over silica mineralization when bounded to inorganic surfaces. The amphiphilic alpha-helical peptide LK alpha 14 (Ac-LKKLLKLLKKLLKLC-OH) is used, which is based on leucine and lysine and has been a model system for surface studies and mineralization in solution for several years. LK alpha 14 has been anchored to gold surfaces via terminal cysteine groups as linkers. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy, scanning force microscopy, and molecular dynamic simulations, it is found that LK alpha 14 peptides assemble into laterally ordered structures with approximate to 5 nm wide cavities which serve as effective nucleating sites for silica nanoparticles.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1700399
JournalAdvanced Materials Interfaces
Volume4
Issue16
Pages (from-to)1700399, 1-7
Number of pages7
ISSN2196-7350
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

    Research areas

  • diatom mimic peptides, peptide assembly, self-assembled monolayers, silica nucleation, surface assembly, SUM-FREQUENCY GENERATION, VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY, HYDROPHOBIC PERIODICITY, SILICA MORPHOGENESIS, DIATOM BIOSILICA, MODEL PEPTIDES, MONOLAYERS, CONFORMATION, ORIENTATION, ADSORPTION

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