Self-assembled Peptide Nanostructures in Materials Chemistry

Self-assembled peptide nanostructures present a vast potential for materials science. These nanostructures are formed by self-assembly of small molecular weight molecules. Programmed assembly of peptides can be achieved by providing certain inputs at the design level. Noncovalent interactions such as electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, ¿-¿ interactions, solvophobic effects and van der Waals forces can be used as inputs determining fate of a supramolecular ensemble. Supramolecular ensembles can be used as functional templates for the synthesis of hybrid organic-inorganic and purely inorganic nanomaterials. Peptide nanostructures can be utilized in patterning of organic materials as well. For instance, encapsulation of chromophore molecules in peptide nanostructures presents an interesting approach in controlling photophysical properties of enclosed molecules. Peptide nanostructures have shown great versatility and applicability in materials science. This fact is not surprising, because numerous phenomena taking place in nature actively exploit polypeptides as a handy tool in materials synthesis and its hierarchical organization.