Two-dimensional self-assembly of amphiphilic peptides; adsorption-induced secondary structural transition on hydrophilic substrate

Adsorption of sequential amphiphilic peptides on solid substrates triggered the spontaneous construction of nanoscaled architecture. An amphiphilic peptide designed with a cationic amino acid as a hydrophilic residue turned an anionic mica substrate into a water-repellent surface, simply by adsorbing it on the substrate surface. In contrast, an amphiphilic peptide designed with an anionic amino-acid residue formed a precisely controlled fiber array comprising a β-sheet fiber monolayer at the anionic substrate/water interface. This phenomenon was based on the secondary structural transition from random-coil to β-sheet, which occurred specifically when amphiphilic peptide adsorbed on the substrate surface. Such surface-specific nonorder/order transition was implemented by exploiting the strength of adsorption between the peptide and the substrate. A strategic design exploiting weak bonding such as hydrophobic interactions is essential for constructing precisely controlled nano-architectures in two dimensions.