Article
Polymer Science
Thomas Babut, Mona Semsarilar, Marc Rolland, Damien Quemener
Summary: In this study, a waterborne approach was proposed to co-assemble peptide amphiphiles (PA) and polyelectrolytes into porous membranes with nanostructured networks. Various production methods were explored to shape the material and optimize the structure, leading to a membrane material in the ultrafiltration range with a pore radius of about 7.6 nm.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fang-Yi Wu, Hsin-Chieh Lin
Summary: Synthetic bioactive aromatic peptide amphiphiles are recognized as key elements of emerging biomedical strategies due to their biocompatibility, design flexibility, and functionality. We investigated the self-assembly driving force of two supramolecular materials and found ordered π-π interactions and secondary structures in both compounds. In cell experiments, PFB-IKVAV showed promise as a potential supramolecular biomaterial for biomedical applications.
Article
Polymer Science
Giuseppe Rosario Del Sorbo, Viviana Cristiglio, Daniel Clemens, Ingo Hoffmann, Emanuel Schneck
Summary: Aqueous mixtures of polyelectrolytes and oppositely charged surfactants can form clear and homogeneous solutions when one component is in excess, but macroscopic precipitates are formed around charge equilibrium. Near the phase boundary, nanometric polyelectrolyte/surfactant complexes can greatly increase the viscosity of aqueous solutions, governed by the composition and chemical nature of the polyelectrolyte and surfactant. The interaction between polycation JR 400 and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) leads to a significant increase in viscosity, while no such increase is observed with sodium octyl sulfate (SOS) due to the absence of mixed aggregates.
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaoxue Shen, Yan Zhang, Huibin He, Chenglin Yi, Wenhao Dong, Shunsheng Ye, Di Zheng, Jing Tao, Qi Wu, Xiaozheng Duan, Zhihong Nie
Summary: This article investigates the adsorption behaviors of charged polymer-grafted hairy nanoparticles (HNPs) on oppositely charged substrates in different solvent media through a combination of experiments and simulations. The results show that the adsorption process of HNPs is influenced by the release of counterions around charged polymers, leading to a higher energy barrier compared to bare NPs. This energy barrier can be reduced by changing the dielectricity of solvents, the ionization degree of grafted polymers, or the ionic strength of the solution.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Monika Bak, Judith Mihaly, Gergo Gyulai, Istvan Szalai, Imre Varga, Robert Meszaros
Summary: Experiments revealed the formation of solid films at liquid interfaces through the interfacial association of anionic polyelectrolytes and surfactants. These films possess temperature sensitivity and offer an alternative to previously synthesized solid polyion/surfactant assemblies.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rie Wakabayashi, Ayato Higuchi, Hiroki Obayashi, Masahiro Goto, Noriho Kamiya
Summary: This study investigated the self-assembly and enzymatic post-modification of short aromatic peptide amphiphiles, showing that these molecules can form fibrous structures and their assembly is influenced by solution pH. Moreover, enzymatic reactions showed different rates at varying pH, indicating pH dependency in the enzyme-catalyzed post-modification process.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Milad Eftekhari, Karin Schwarzenberger, Stoyan I. Karakashev, Nikolay A. Grozev, Kerstin Eckert
Summary: This article focuses on the interaction between oppositely charged nanoparticles and surfactants and their influence on interfacial properties. The findings suggest that the surfactant/nanoparticle ratio primarily determines the interfacial properties, affecting the rheological properties of the interface while not significantly impacting surface tension.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Revaz Chachanidze, Kaili Xie, Hanna Massaad, Denis Roux, Marc Leonetti, Clement de Loubens
Summary: Controlling the assembly of polyelectrolytes and surfactant at liquid-liquid interfaces is important for fabricating soft materials with specific physical properties. The kinetics and properties of the assembly process of a positively charged biopolymer, chitosan, with an anionic fatty acid at the water-oil interface were studied. The results revealed that the interfacial complexation is a multi-step process.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhicheng Jin, Yi Li, Ke Li, Jiajing Zhou, Justin Yeung, Chuxuan Ling, Wonjun Yim, Tengyu He, Yong Cheng, Ming Xu, Matthew N. Creyer, Yu-Ci Chang, Pavla Fajtova, Maurice Retout, Baiyan Qi, Shuzhou Li, Anthony J. O'Donoghue, Jesse V. Jokerst
Summary: In this study, a colorimetric biosensor using plasmonic gold and surfactant-like peptides (SLPs) was developed, which exhibited a strong aggregation propensity of the FFPC tail without the polar DDD head. The SLPs had specificity towards the target protease M-pro, a biomarker for SARS-CoV-2. This simple and visual tool showed detection limits of 15.7, 20.8, and 26.1 nM for M-pro in phosphate buffer, exhaled breath condensate, and saliva, respectively, and may have potential in designing other protease testing methods.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Quhui Chang, Jian Jiang
Summary: The study found that the alteration of charge distribution due to different PE chain structures directly affects the adsorption behavior of PEs on an oppositely charged surface. In a salt-free system, PE chain structure and sequence variables have a significant impact on adsorption behaviors, showing complex behaviors in adsorption amounts. Additionally, overcharging only occurs when the bare surface charge density is low enough.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yurong Zhao, Hao Qi, Limin Zhang, Chunyong He, Feng Wei, Dong Wang, Jie Li, Kai Qi, Xuzhi Hu, Jiqian Wang, Yubin Ke, Chunqiu Zhang, Jian R. Lu, Hai Xu
Summary: This study investigates the morphology transition of peptide self-assembly and finds that shifting the position of the terminal residue can achieve the transition from nanofibers to nanotubes. The underlying mechanism is revealed, and it is found that the formation of giant nanotubes with a bilayer shell structure is promoted by inter-molecular C-terminal H-bonding. This morphological transformation method is applicable to other analogues and provides a convenient approach for predicting peptide nanostructures.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Maria Khalid, Tasmina Kanwal, Salim Saifullah, Muhammad Imran, Shafi Ullah, Muhammad Raza Shah
Summary: This study reports the synthesis of a lysine-containing peptide amphiphile capable of self-assembling into cylindrical nanostructures and loading hydrophobic drugs, suggesting its potential as an effective vehicle for nanoscale drug delivery.
JOURNAL OF CLUSTER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tong Bian, Andrea Gardin, Julius Gemen, Lothar Houben, Claudio Perego, Byeongdu Lee, Nadav Elad, Zonglin Chu, Giovanni M. Pavan, Rafal Klajn
Summary: The use of small molecules with electric charges can effectively induce attractive interactions between oppositely charged nanoparticles in water, guiding their assembly into colloidal crystals. This approach offers a facile way to fabricate, manipulate, and investigate nanostructured materials in aqueous environments.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bjorn Stenqvist, Jerome J. Crassous
Summary: Through Monte Carlo simulations, the interactions between oppositely charged multi-indented lock- and spherical key-particles were investigated. The study found specific interactions leading to the formation of ordered clusters. However, under low volume fractions, the entropic cost of binding multiple keys to a single lock hindered the formation of ordered aggregates or lattices, resulting in gel-like structures.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
M. Hussain Sangji, Hiroaki Sai, Stacey M. Chin, Sieun Ruth Lee, Ivan R. Sasselli, Liam C. Palmer, Samuel Stupp
Summary: The morphology of supramolecular peptide nanostructures is influenced by factors such as the balance of molecule packing, the diversity of peptide sequences, and the twisting of beta-sheets. Altering the peptide sequence can change the morphology and supramolecular chirality of the nanostructures. Additionally, increasing charge repulsion between molecules leads to a change in morphology.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valeria Castelletto, Ian W. Hamley
Summary: It has been demonstrated that a conserved coronavirus spike protein peptide can form amyloid structures, which has implications for the stability of the spike protein conformation and potential functional material applications.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Ian W. Hamley
Summary: Lamellar structures are common in soft materials and exhibit characteristic scattering patterns. Diffuse scattering can provide information about the fluctuations and elastic properties of lamellae, as well as insights into the nature of correlated structures.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lucas R. de Mello, Vinicius Carrascosa, Eduardo Rebelato, Maria A. Juliano, Ian W. Hamley, Valeria Castelletto, Sandra V. Vassiliades, Wendel A. Alves, Clovis R. Nakaie, Emerson R. da Silva
Summary: Peptide-based hydrogels are promising biomaterials that can mimic the 3D microenvironment of the extracellular matrix. This study demonstrates that a synthetic decapeptide can form highly stable hydrogel matrices that retain a high water content and induce morphogenesis in interacting cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elisabetta Rosa, Lucas de Mello, Valeria Castelletto, Mark L. Dallas, Antonella Accardo, Jani Seitsonen, Ian W. Hamley
Summary: This study investigates the conformation and self-assembly behavior of four lipopeptides, and examines their potential applications in tissue engineering based on cytocompatibility assessments. The results show that all four lipopeptides can self-assemble into nanostructures at specific concentrations. Furthermore, these lipopeptides demonstrate promising prospects in tissue engineering.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nada Aljuaid, Jani Seitsonen, Janne Ruokolainen, Francesca Greco, Ian W. Hamley
Summary: This study found that analogues of benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide can self-assemble into micelles or nanotapes in aqueous solution, depending on the architecture of alkyl and PEG chains. The compounds exhibit selective cytotoxicity to breast cancer cells, showing strong stability in acidic tumor conditions and cell culture media.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ian W. Hamley
Summary: This review focuses on the self-assembly, structural and functional properties of peptide conjugates containing bulky terminal aromatic substituents, with a particular emphasis on bioactivity. The driving force for self-assembly comes from pi-stacking and hydrophobic interactions, as well as hydrogen bonding, electrostatics, and other forces between short peptides. The balance of these interactions leads to a propensity for self-assembly, even for single amino acid conjugates. The resulting molecules often form hydrogels built from beta-sheet fibrils, with applications in biomaterials, drug delivery, catalysis, and optoelectronics.
ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valeria Castelletto, Jani Seitsonen, Ian W. W. Hamley
Summary: This study investigates the self-assembly behavior of two monodisperse lipid A derivatives based on bacterial LPS structures in water and compares them to native Escherichia coli LPS using small-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. The critical aggregation concentration and conformation are characterized using fluorescence probe experiments and circular dichroism spectroscopy, respectively. The E. coli LPS forms wormlike micelles, while the synthetic analogues self-assemble into nanosheets or vesicles depending on the number of lipid chains and saccharide head groups. These findings can be rationalized based on the surfactant packing parameter.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Biswanath Hansda, Jhilam Majumder, Biplab Mondal, Akash Chatterjee, Subhadeep Das, Sourav Kumar, Ratan Gachhui, Valeria Castelletto, Ian W. Hamley, Prosenjit Sen, Arindam Banerjee
Summary: A histidine-based amphiphilic peptide (P) was discovered to form an injectable transparent hydrogel with inherent antibacterial property in phosphate buffer solution. The peptide self-assembles into a nanofibrillar network structure and exhibits efficient antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The hydrogel can also encapsulate and selectively release drugs, making it a potential antibacterial and drug delivering agent.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valeria Castelletto, Lucas de Mello, Emerson Rodrigo da Silva, Jani Seitsonen, Ian W. Hamley
Summary: Considerable interest has been shown in peptides with the Fmoc protecting group, as it can promote self-assembly and has applications in cell culture biomaterials. New amino acid analogues with the Smoc protecting group have been developed for water-based peptide synthesis. Self-assembly of Smoc-Ala, Smoc-Phe, and Smoc-Arg occurs above the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) and forms nanosheet, nanoribbon, or nanotube structures. Smoc-amino acids show excellent biocompatibility and are taken up by fibroblast cells without cytotoxicity.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Thiago C. Lourenco, Lucas R. de Mello, Marcelo Y. Icimoto, Renata N. Bicev, Ian W. Hamley, Valeria Castelletto, Clovis R. Nakaie, Emerson R. da Silva
Summary: This study presents a strategy for fabricating highly ordered 1D nanostructures of Bradykinin (BK) using DNA fragments as a template for self-assembly. The nanoscale structure of BK-DNA complexes was revealed, showing the formation of ordered nanofibrils. The complexes retained the native bioactivity of BK and could induce a limited uptake of nucleotides by HEK-293t cells, which has not been previously reported.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Elisabetta Rosa, Carlo Diaferia, Lucas De Mello, Jani Seitsonen, Ian W. Hamley, Antonella Accardo
Summary: Short and ultra-short peptides are now being used as building blocks for self-assembled materials, with peptide aggregation being influenced by the amino acids in the sequence as well as their ability to interact with each other. By modifying peptides with polymeric moieties, alkyl chains, or other organic molecules, further structural and functional properties can be achieved. In this study, we synthesized and investigated the aggregation behavior of peptide amphiphiles (PAs) containing cationic tetra- or hexa-peptides derivatized with an alkyl chain. These PAs were able to form highly ordered nanostructures and biocompatible hydrogels, showing potential for tissue engineering and diagnostic applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jinghua Liu, Jingqing Li, Binyuan Liu, Ian W. Hamley, Shichun Jiang
Summary: The Mpemba effect and its inverse can be explained by nonequilibrium thermodynamics. While changes of state in polymers are generally non-equilibrium processes, the Mpemba effect is rarely seen in their crystallization. Polybutene-1 (PB-1) has the lowest critical cooling rate among polyolefins and tends to maintain its original structure and properties in the melt. Experimental observations confirm the presence of the Mpemba effect in both the crystallization of PB-1 in form II and form I obtained at low melting temperatures.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Biswanath Hansda, Biplab Mondal, Soumyajit Hazra, Krishna Sundar Das, Valeria Castelletto, Ian W. Hamley, Arindam Banerjee
Summary: Peptide-based multicomponent hydrogels offer tunable mechanical properties and physical characteristics, demonstrating good cell compatibility and sustained drug release capabilities, and have the potential to serve as scaffold materials for tissue engineering.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Biplab Mondal, Vivek Kumar Gupta, Biswanath Hansda, Arpita Bhoumik, Tanushree Mondal, Hemanta K. Majumder, Charlotte J. C. Edwards-Gayle, Ian W. Hamley, Parasuraman Jaisankar, Arindam Banerjee
Summary: Nanoscale self-assembly of peptide constructs is a promising approach for developing functional materials with bioactive properties. This study focuses on peptide amphiphdes that form hydrogels and have shown potential anti-microbial and anti-parasitic activities, particularly against drug-resistant strains of Leishmania. The amphiphdes were synthesized and characterized, and their self-assembly, gelation behavior, and properties were investigated. The results demonstrate that these gelators have both antibacterial and antiparasitic activities, making them promising therapeutic agents against leishmaniasis.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ian W. Hamley
Summary: This review discusses the use of peptide epitopes as antigens in vaccine development, focusing on their potential in clinical trials and as future vaccine candidates. It covers peptides used in immunotherapies for infectious diseases and cancer vaccines, as well as their application in stimulating non-specific immune responses and as self-adjuvanting peptides. The review highlights the specificity of the immune response that can be achieved using peptide epitopes and the potential for future therapies.
ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yiping Yin, Zhe Wang, Hua Zou
Summary: This study presents a novel method for preparing dimpled polymer-silica nanocomposite particles using interfacial swelling-based seeded polymerization. The optimized conditions allow for a relatively high percentage of dimpled particles to be achieved.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Brenden D. Hoehn, Elizabeth A. Kellstedt, Marc A. Hillmyer
Summary: Porous materials with nanometer-scale pores have important applications as nanoporous membranes. In this study, ABA triblock copolymers were used as precursors to produce nanoporous polymeric membranes (NPMs) in thin film form by degrading the end blocks. Polycyclooctene (PCOE) NPMs with tunable pore sizes were successfully prepared using solvent casting technique. Oxygen plasma etching was employed to improve the surface porosity and hydrophilicity of the membranes. This study provides a straightforward method to produce tough NPMs with high porosity and hydrophilic surface properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vladislav S. Petrovskii, Stepan I. Zholudev, Igor I. Potemkin
Summary: This article investigates the behavior of linear and ring polypeptide chains in aqueous solution and explores the properties of the complexes formed by these chains with oppositely charged surfactants. The results demonstrate that the complexes of linear supercharged unfolded polypeptides and the corresponding surfactants exhibit impressive adhesive properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Merve Cevik, Serkan Dikici
Summary: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally, and vascular grafts are a promising treatment option. This study focuses on tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) using decellularized parsley stems as a potential biomaterial. The decellularized parsley stems showed suitable properties for TEVGs, providing a suitable environment for human endothelial cells to form a pseudo endothelium. This study showcases the potential of using parsley stems for TEVGs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gustavo A. Vasquez-Montoya, Tadej Emersic, Noe Atzin, Antonio Tavera-Vazquez, Ali Mozaffari, Rui Zhang, Orlando Guzman, Alexey Snezhko, Paul F. Nealey, Juan J. de Pablo
Summary: The optical properties of liquid crystals are typically controlled by electric fields. In this study, we investigate the effects of microfluidic flows and acoustic fields on the molecular orientation and optical response of nematic liquid crystals. We identify several previously unknown structures and explain them through calculations and simulations. These findings hold promise for the development of new systems combining sound, flow, and confinement.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xinjun Wu, Xin Guan, Shushu Chen, Jiangpeng Jia, Chongyi Chen, Jiawei Zhang, Chuanzhuang Zhao
Summary: This research presents a novel shape memory hydrogel with a remodelable permanent shape and programmable cold-induced shape recovery behavior. The hydrogel is prepared using specific treatment methods to achieve shape fixation by heating and shape recovery by cooling. Additionally, deformable devices can be obtained by assembling hydrogel blocks with different concentrations.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rebecca Hengsbach, Gerhard Fink, Ulrich Simon
Summary: This study examines the properties of DNA functionalized pNipmam microgels and pure pNipmam microgels at different concentrations of sodium chloride and in PBS solutions using temperature dependent H-1-NMR measurements. The results show that DNA modification affects the volume phase transition temperature and the addition of salt and PBS further enhances this effect.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ningyi Li, Junhong Li, Lijingting Qing, Shicheng Ma, Yao Li, Baohui Li
Summary: This paper investigates the self-assembly behavior of colloids with competing interactions under spherical confinement and finds that different ordered structures can be formed under different sized spherical confinements. Moreover, more perforated structures are formed in smaller spheres.