Abstract
The gelation properties of three peptides containing different hydrophilic heads, I3R, I3K and I3H, in the presence of group 1B metal salts were investigated in detail. Nanofibers, nanotubes and helical ribbons were obtained in hydrogels of I3R/Mn+, I3K/Mn+ and I3H/Mn+, respectively, which were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The nanostructures were not influenced by group 1B metal ions. We proposed a possible self-assembly mechanism based on circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The results indicated that coordination interactions and hydrogen bonding are the main driving forces in the self-assembly process. Additionally, Cu, Ag and Au nanoparticles (NPs) were produced in situ on the surfaces of the nanostructures because peptides with electron-rich groups (amino, multiple hydroxyl) show weak reducing capacity. At the same concentrations, the hydrogels formed by I3R and I3H with metal ions show higher viscoelasticity than those formed by I3K. Furthermore, the hydrogels of I3X/Mn+ (X = R, K and H) presented good conductivity and printable properties, and various structures, such as characters, triangles, and hearts, were obtained via simple injection.
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