Staged self-assembly of PAMAM dendrimers into macroscopic aggregates with a microribbon structure similar to that of amelogenin

In this work, the PAMAM dendrimer self-assembles into macroscopic aggregates with a microribbon structure in aqueous solution containing ferric chloride, which are millimeters in length and micrometers in width. The microribbons have a stable structure with the thickness approaching 5 mu m. Their self-assembly process and final morphology are pretty similar to those of the supramolecular assembly of amelogenin. The method opens a new avenue for fabricating novel and well-defined materials to mimic the assembly process of proteins and their biological functionalizations as protein analogues for wide applications.