Self-Assembly of Short Aromatic Peptides: From Amyloid Fibril Formation to Nanotechnology

Abstract

Molecular self-assembly offers unique directions for the fabrication of novel supramolecular structures and advance materials. The inspiration for the development of such structures is often derived from self-assembling modules in biology, as natural systems form complex structures from simple building blocks such as amino acids, nucleic acids, and lipids. Self-assembled peptide nanostructures are assumed to serve as key building blocks in future nanotechnological devices and assemblies. These peptide structures offer the advantage of high biological systems specificity while allowing numerous chemical modifications. Short peptides self-assemble into various forms in the nano-scale, including tapes, fibrils, tubes, and spheres. Yet, the inherent thermal and chemical instability of many protein structures raise a question regarding the compatibility of peptide structure with common lithographic techniques and the long-term durability of such devices.