Coil-like Conformation Research Articles

Structural and Dynamical Properties of Elastin-Like Peptides near Their Lower Critical Solution Temperature.

Elastin-like peptides (ELPs) are artificially derived intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) mimicking the hydrophobic repeat unit in the protein elastin. ELPs are characterized by a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in aqueous media. Here, we investigate the sequence GVG(VPGVG)3 over a wide range of temperatures (below, around, and above the LCST) and peptide concentrations employing all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, where we focus on the role of intra- and interpeptide interactions. We begin by investigating the structural properties of a single peptide that demonstrates a hydrophobic collapse with temperature, albeit moderate, because the sequence length is short. We observe a change in the interaction between two peptides from repulsive to attractive with temperature by evaluating the potential of mean force, indicating an LCST-like behavior. Next, we explore dynamical and structural properties of peptides in multichain systems. We report the formation of dynamical aggregates with coil-like conformation, in which valine central residues play an important role. Moreover, the lifetime of contacts between chains strongly depends on the temperature and can be described by a power-law decay that is consistent with the LCST-like behavior. Finally, the peptide translational and internal motion are slowed by an increase in the peptide concentration and temperature.

Analysis of initial stage of colloidal particles flocculation induced by different degree branching polyelectrolytes

Flocculation performance of polyelectrolytes is affected by their molecular branching. To unravel the mechanisms involved, we performed flocculation experiments of negatively charged polystyrene latex particles using three cationic polyacrylamide-based polyelectrolytes differing only in the degree of molecular branching. In the experiment, a simple linear chain molecule and two branched polyelectrolytes were tested. The initial rate of flocculation under the condition of standardized mixing, the value of resulted electrophoretic mobility of particles coated with polyelectrolytes, and their hydrodynamic layer thickness by means of particle tracking of Brownian motion were monitored to compare the effect of branching degree. The rate of flocculation was found to increase with an increase in the degree of branching, as corresponding to the hydrodynamic adsorbed layer thickness. These results suggested the importance of the relaxation process polymer chain from coil-like solution conformation to flattened adsorbed state on the surface of colloidal particles. Branched polymers retain their shape after arriving on the surface due to the presence of branches that disturb smooth movement resulting in slow relaxation on the surface of the colloidal particle. Subsequently, forming thick adsorbed layer and enhances the rate of flocculation. Thus, explaining the commonly observed trend where branched polymers achieve better flocculating abilities than linear ones.

Structural and Functional Characterization of the ABA-Water Deficit Stress Domain from Wheat and Barley: An Intrinsically Disordered Domain behind the Versatile Functions of the Plant Abscissic Acid, Stress and Ripening Protein Family.

The ASR protein family has been discovered thirty years ago in many plant species and is involved in the tolerance of various abiotic stresses such as dehydration, salinity and heat. Despite its importance, nothing is known about the conserved ABA-Water Deficit Stress Domain (ABA-WDS) of the ASR gene family. In this study, we characterized two ABA-WDS domains, isolated from durum wheat (TtABA-WDS) and barley (HvABA-WDS). Bioinformatics analysis shows that they are both consistently predicted to be intrinsically disordered. Hydrodynamic and circular dichroism analysis indicate that both domains are largely disordered but belong to different structural classes, with HvABA-WDS and TtABA-WDS adopting a PreMolten Globule-like (PMG-like) and a Random Coil-like (RC-like) conformation, respectively. In the presence of the secondary structure stabilizer trifluoroethanol (TFE) or of increasing glycerol concentrations, which mimics dehydration, the two domains acquire an α-helical structure. Interestingly, both domains are able to prevent heat- and dehydration-induced inactivation of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Furthermore, heterologous expression of TtABA-WDS and HvABA-WDS in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae improves its tolerance to salt, heat and cold stresses. Taken together our results converge to show that the ABA-WDS domain is an intrinsically disordered functional domain whose conformational plasticity could be instrumental to support the versatile functions attributed to the ASR family, including its role in abiotic stress tolerance. Finally, and after validation in the plant system, this domain could be used to improve crop tolerance to abiotic stresses.

Polyphenol binding disassembles glycation-modified bovine serum albumin amyloid fibrils.

Glycation of protein results in the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and leads to deposition as amyloid fibrils. Adhesive structural properties of polyphenols to aromatic amino acids draw significance in promoting, accelerating and/or stabilizing on-pathway and off-pathway folding intermediates, although the mechanistic action remains unclear. In this study, polyphenols remodeling mature AGEs modified amyloid fibrils were investigated through UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, MALDI-MS/MS analysis and molecular docking studies. Our findings confirmed the glycation-mediated transformation of native protein into β-sheet rich amyloid fibrils. SDS-PAGE results suggested the presence of shorter peptide fragments ranging from ~10kDa to ~40kDa. MALDI-MS/MS results identified the plausible sequences to be His105-His181, Arg193-Lys242, Leu325-Tyr410, and Ala451-Tyr529. TEM and AFM results suggested that polyphenols binding mature amyloid fibrils remodel/disassemble them into distinct aggregate structures or non-amyloid fibrils. Circular dichroism studies suggested that polyphenols upon binding amyloid fibrils stabilizes and transforms the secondary structure towards helical or random coil-like conformation. Molecular modeling studies suggested high binding affinity and hydrophobic interaction to be the main driving force in remodeling perspective. Together, our findings suggest that polyphenols could differentially remodel mature AGEs-modified amyloid fibrils into distinct aggregate structures through non-covalent interactions and can alleviate AGEs-mediated amyloidosis.

Correlation between Nanoscale Elasticity, Semiconductivity, and Structural Order in Functionalized Polyaniline Thin Films.

The correlation between structural order, elasticity, and semiconductivity for butylthio-functionalized polyaniline (PANI-SBu) thin films was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based techniques with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After different stirring times, the thin films were cast from the solution of PANI-SBu in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone that was continuously stirred at a constant rate of 150 rpm in an airtight round-bottom flask. According to the XRD and SEM results, the cross-sectional film structure evolved from being generally holey to highly lamellar with an increase in the stirring time. However, some new types of disordered structures began emerging beyond the optimal stirring time, possibly caused by the formation of disordered packing structures as contributed from the overoxidized polyaniline backbones during the additional stirring time. Moreover, according to the investigation results obtained using AFM-based techniques, the out-of-plane elastic moduli and charge mobilities of the PANI-SBu films were consistently smaller for disordered thin films and larger for structurally more ordered ones. The shear force resulting from the mechanical stirring of the PANI-SBu solution may gradually disentangle the polymer chains and thus help transform the individual polyaniline molecule from a coil-like chain conformation to a better extended rodlike chain conformation. Therefore, when cast into a film, the stretched polymer chains facilitate self-organization among the PANI-SBu backbones during the film formation process. Thus, an improved structural order in the film is attained. Our results demonstrate an unambiguous correlation between the structure order, elasticity, and conductivity in PANI-SBu thin films, which may have useful applications in conducting polymer-based flexible electronics.

Conformation of disordered peptides modulated by distributions of charged residues: Case study of random peptides composed of arginines and aspartic acids

The relationship between the sequential and structural features of intrinsically disordered peptides (IDPs) has attracted much attention during the recent decade. One essential problem relating to sequence-structure relationship is how the distribution of charged residues affects the structure of IDP. In this work, we address this problem with simulations on a series of random peptides composed of arginine and aspartic acids. With the ABSINTH implicit solvation model, the structural ensembles are generated with Markov Chain Monte Carlo method and replica-exchange sampling. The relations between various structural features (including the gyration radius, the tail distance, the distance between residues, and asphericity) and the distribution of charged residues are analyzed. Several limit cases (with parts of interactions switched off) are also calculated for comparison. The conversion from extended conformations to compact structures is observed, following the demixing of negatively and positively charged residues along the sequence. For the cases with well-mixed charges, the intra-chain electrostatic repulsions and attractions are balanced, which results in a generic Flory random coil-like conformation. Differently, for the case with well-separated charged residues, the electrostatic attraction between residues distant along the sequence induces a semi-compact hairpin-like conformation. This is consistent with the observations of Pappu group. Our results suggest that the structural dependence on charge distribution would not be sensitive to the selection of amino acid, and is determined by the patterns of charges, which demonstrates the robustness of the mechanism that the charge distribution modulates the structural features in the IDP system. Our results may broaden our understanding of the sequence-structure relation of IDP system.

A novel hydrophobically-modified polyelectrolyte for enhanced dewatering of clay suspension

This work investigates the effect of multifunctional poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide/acrylic acid/N-tert-butylacrylamide) [p(NIPAM-AA-NTBA)] ternary polymer on the sedimentation of kaolin clay – a major fraction of oil sands tailings. A series of linear, uncross-linked p(NIPAM), p(NIPAM/AA), and p(NIPAM/AA/NTBM) were synthesized as random copolymers, where all monomer units were randomly arranged along the polymer backbone and connected by covalent bonds. The ternary copolymer, used as a flocculant, exhibited thermo-sensitivity, anionic nature, and hydrophobic association due to NIPAM, AA, and NTBM, respectively. As the ternary polymer is thermosensitive, it undergoes extended to coil-like conformation, i.e. hydrophilic to hydrophobic transition, above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). The comonomers NIPAM (above LCST) and NTBM help expel water out of sediments due to their hydrophobicity, while AA promotes charge neutralization of the kaolin clay particles. The effect of number average molecular weight, charge density, and concentration of NTBM on settling behavior of kaolin suspension was examined. Settling test at 50 °C resulted in significantly higher settling rates compared to that at room temperature. Further, the quality of water recovered in each experiment was tested in terms of its turbidity. These results indicate that this novel ternary polymer can be employed to enhance the recovery of water from oil sands tailings containing clays.

Solution-Phase Conformation and Dynamics of Conjugated Isoindigo-Based Donor-Acceptor Polymer Single Chains.

Conjugated polymers are the key material in thin-film organic optoelectronic devices due to the versatility of these molecules combined with their semiconducting properties. A molecular-scale understanding of conjugated polymers is important to the optimization of the thin-film morphology. We examine the solution-phase behavior of conjugated isoindigo-based donor-acceptor polymer single chains of various chain lengths using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Our simulations elucidate the transition from a rod-like to a coil-like conformation from an analysis of normal modes and persistence length. In addition, we find another transition based on the solvent environment, contrasting the coil-like conformation in a good solvent with a globule-like conformation in a poor solvent. Overall, our results provide valuable insights into the transition between conformational regimes for conjugated polymers as a function of both the chain length and the solvent environment, which will help to accurately parametrize higher level models.

Wormlike Surfactant Micelles with Embedded Polymer Chains

Active use of wormlike micelle (WLM) solutions in a broad range of applications demands control of their viscoelastic properties under different external conditions that can be achieved by using hybrid materials, such as polymer–surfactant complexes. Understanding the properties of such hybrid materials remains a challenge. Using a combination of several experimental techniques with molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the interaction of poly(4-vinylpyridine) with WLMs of the anionic surfactant potassium oleate. We find that this polymer is solubilized by the micelles at the interface between the tails and headgroups of surfactant, thus screening the hydrophobic polymer backbone from interactions with water while maintaining hydrogen bonding between the pyridine rings and water. By use of SANS with contrast variation, it was shown that the macromolecules associated with the micelles have an expanded coil-like conformation with persistence length 4-fold higher than that of a polymer chain in a go...

Sequence requirements of oligonucleotide chiral selectors for the capillary electrophoresis resolution of low-affinity DNA binders.

We recently reported that a great variety of DNA oligonucleotides (ONs) used as chiral selectors in partial-filling capillary electrophoresis (CE) exhibited interesting enantioresolution properties toward low-affinity DNA binders. Herein, the sequence prerequisites of ONs for the CE enantioseparation process were studied. First, the chiral resolution properties of a series of homopolymeric sequences (Poly-dT) of different lengths (from 5 to 60-mer) were investigated. It was shown that the size increase-dependent random coil-like conformation of Poly-dT favorably acted on the apparent selectivity and resolution. The base-unpairing state constituted also an important factor in the chiral resolution ability of ONs as the switch from the single-stranded to double-stranded structure was responsible for a significant decrease in the analyte selectivity range. Finally, the chemical diversity enhanced the enantioresolution ability of single-stranded ONs. The present work could lay the foundation for the design of performant ON chiral selectors for the CE separation of weak DNA binder enantiomers.

Revealing the Compact Structure of Lactic Acid Bacterial Heteroexopolysaccharides by SAXS and DLS

Molecular structures of exopolysaccharides are required to understand their functions and the relationships between the structure and physical and rheological properties. Small-angle X-ray scattering and dynamic light scattering were used in conjunction with molecular modeling to characterize solution structures of three lactic acid bacterial heteroexopolysaccharides (HePS-1, HePS-2, and HePS-3). Values of radius of gyration RG, cross-sectional radius of gyration RXS, approximate length L, and hydrodynamic diameter were not directly proportional to the molar mass and indicated the HePSs adopted a compact coil-like rather than an extended conformation. Constrained molecular modeling of 15000 randomized HePS-1 conformers resulted in five best-fit structures with R factor of 3.9-4.6% revealing random coil-like structure. Φ and Ψ angle analysis of glycosidic linkages in HePS-1 structures suggests Galf residues significantly influence the conformation. Ab initio scattering modeling of HePS-2 and HePS-3 gave excellent curve fittings with χ2 of 0.43 and 0.34 for best-fit models, respectively, compatible with coil-like conformation. The findings disclose solution behavior of HePS relevant for their interactions with biomacromolecules, for example, milk proteins.

Structural Stability, Transitions, and Interactions within SoxYZCD-Thiosulphate from Sulfurimonas denitrificans: An In Silico Molecular Outlook for Maintaining Environmental Sulphur Cycle.

Thiosulphate oxidation (an essential mechanism) serves to maintain the global sulphur cycle. Earlier experimental and computational studies dealt with environmental thiosulphate oxidation but none dealt with thiosulphate oxidation from deep ocean belts. Wet-laboratory experimental research shows that epsilon-proteobacteria Sulfurimonas denitrificans possess sox (sulphur-oxidizing) operon and perform thiosulphate oxidation efficiently underneath the oceans. From this specific sox operon, SoxCD complex recycles the thiosulphate-bound SoxY from SoxYZ complex to balance the environmental sulphur cycle. So, four chief proteins were variedly modeled and relevant simulated interactive structures were obtained. The final simulated tetraprotein complex (SoxYZCD) from docked SoxYZ and SoxCD complexes was disclosed to be a highly interactive one with predominant ionic residues. Free energy of folding, solvent accessibility, and conformational shifts (coil-like conformation to helices and sheets) were observed in SoxYZ complex after interacting with SoxCD. The stability of the complex (SoxYZCD) after simulation was also observed through the electrostatic surface potential values. These evaluations were rationalized via biostatistics. This aids SoxCD for recycling SoxY along with thiosulphate, which remains interconnected by four H-bonds with SoxY. Therefore, this novel exploration is endowed with the detailed molecular viewpoint for maintaining the sulphur cycle (globally) including the ocean belts.

Synthesis and secondary conformations of homochiral β-oligopeptides containing aryl side chains

A series of novel homochiral α-oligopeptides bearing aryl side chains was designed and synthesized from (S)-α-phenyl-α-amino acid derivatives by solution-phase methods. By means of circular dichroism(CD), Fouriertransform infrared spectrometry(FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction analysis(XRD) and density functional theory(DFT) calculations, we suggest that dipeptide P-2 and tripeptide P-3 adopt random coil-like conformations, pentapeptide P-5 and hexapeptide P-6 adopt stable 12-helix conformations in both solution and solid-state. Meanwhile, tetrapeptide P-4 adopt random coil-like conformation in solution and adopt 12-helix conformation in solid state.

Amyloid-Like Hierarchical Helical Fibrils and Conformational Reversibility in Functional Polyesters Based on l-Amino Acids

The present investigation reports one of the first examples of synthetic polymers that capable of undergoing reversible conformation transformation and also self-assembled to hierarchical helical amyloid-like fibrils. A new temperature selective melt polycondensation reaction was developed for amino acid monomers L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid to produce high molecular weight linear functional polyesters. These new polyesters have hydrogen bonded urethane (or carbamate) units that are in-built in each repeating unit. The polymer chains have adapted expanded chain conformation through β-sheet hydrogen bonding interactions and produced twisted ribbon-like assemblies. These twisted ribbons have subsequently undergone interchain folding for making double helical structures. The double helical fibrils aligned together to produce amyloid-like fibrils of few micrometer in length. Upon chemical deprotection of the pendent urethane units; the resultant cationic functional polyester adapted coil-like conformation and exhibited spherical charged nanoparticles of 200 ± 20 nm in size. Dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements revealed that both the charge and size of the spherical structures could be varied by altering the diol segment length in the polymer backbone. The coil-like chains in the charged spherical particles could be reversibly expanded into amyloid-like fibrils via fluorophore chemical substitution using dansyl chloride. The dansyl-substituted polymer exhibited helical fibrils and strong fluorescence. Thus, the L-amino acid based polyesters exhibited complete reversible conformational changes from hierarchical helical amyloid-like fibrils to charged nanoparticles in a single polymer system. These new nonpeptide polyester analogues, their amyloid fibrils, cationic polymer assemblies and fluorescent fibrils are very new based on l-amino acids, which may be useful for a wide range of biomedical applications.

Chain conformation and anti-tumor activity of derivatives of polysaccharide from Rhizoma Panacis Japonici

A hyper branched (1→4)-α-d-glucan (RPS3) with degree of branching of 35% extracted from Rhizoma Panacis Japonici adopted a sphere-like conformation and showed little bioactivity. Three derivatives including sulfated (S-), phosphated (P-) and carboxymethylated (CM-) RPS3 were then synthesized and characterized by FTIR, 13CNMR, and SEC-LLS-Vis-RI. As a result, the molecular weights of CM-RPS3, S-RPS3 and P-RPS3 decreased sharply in contrast to the original one, suggesting that chemical degradation has occurred. Moreover, the sphere-like conformation of RPS3 transferred into the random coil-like conformation according to the increased values of αη, αs and ρ. It was ascribed to the occurrence of the preferential degradation for the branches. In vitro and in vivo tests demonstrated that the negatively charged S-RPS3 and P-RPS3 with properly low molecular mass significantly inhibited H-22 tumor cells growth. This work offered valuable results for broadening the biological applications of α-d-glucans.

Molecular dynamics simulation of a single-stranded DNA with heterogeneous distribution of nucleobases in aqueous medium

The DNA metabolic processes often involve single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) molecules as important intermediates. In the absence of base complementarity, ss-DNAs are more flexible and interact strongly with water in aqueous media. Ss-DNA-water interactions are expected to control the conformational flexibility of the DNA strand, which in turn should influence the properties of the surrounding water molecules. We have performed room temperature molecular dynamics simulation of an aqueous solution containing the ss-DNA dodecamer, 5'-CGCGAATTCGCG-3'. The conformational flexibility of the DNA strand and the microscopic structure and ordering of water molecules around it have been explored. The simulation reveals transformation of the initial base-stacked form of the ss-DNA to a fluctuating collapsed coil-like conformation with the formation of a few non-sequentially stacked base pairs. A preliminary analysis shows further collapse of the DNA conformation in presence of additional salt (NaCl) due to screening of negative charges along the backbone by excess cations. Additionally, higher packing of water molecules within a short distance from the DNA strand is found to be associated with realignment of water molecules by breaking their regular tetrahedral ordering.

Preparation of highly concentrated and stable conducting polymer solutions and their application in high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cell

Highly concentrated, good dispersed and stable conducting polyaniline and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/hexafluoro-isopropanol (HFIP) colloid solutions (PANI/HFIP and PEDOT)/HFIP) are prepared simply by dissolving the doped polymer powders in HFIP. The hydrogen bonding between the doped polymer and fluorinated solvent is not only a driving force for forming concentrated and stable solution but also disintegrates polymer chains in the colloid particles to form more expanded coil-like conformation. PANI-SO4-F (H2SO4 doped PANI) and PEDOT-F (doped PEDOT) films casted from the corresponding HFIP solutions have not only high electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity but also high surface area and good adhesion on the substrate. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) using CYC-B11 sensitizer, I-/I3- redox pair electrolyte and PANI-SO4-F or PEDOT-F/FTO counter electrode achieve the conversion efficiency (η) of 8.8–9.0% which is as good as those for DSCs based on Pt/FTO counter electrode fabricated with the same procedure using the same sensitizer and electrolyte. The excellent photoelectric properties, easy preparation and low cost make conjugated polymer to be a credible material for replacing Pt in DSCs.

Structural landscape of the proline-rich domain of Sos1 nucleotide exchange factor

Despite its key role in mediating a plethora of cellular signaling cascades pertinent to health and disease, little is known about the structural landscape of the proline-rich (PR) domain of Sos1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor. Herein, using a battery of biophysical tools, we provide evidence that the PR domain of Sos1 is structurally disordered and adopts an extended random coil-like conformation in solution. Of particular interest is the observation that while chemical denaturation of PR domain results in the formation of a significant amount of polyproline II (PPII) helices, it has little or negligible effect on its overall size as measured by its hydrodynamic radius. Our data also show that the PR domain displays a highly dynamic conformational basin in agreement with the knowledge that the intrinsically unstructured proteins rapidly interconvert between an ensemble of conformations. Collectively, our study provides new insights into the conformational equilibrium of a key signaling molecule with important consequences on its physiological function.

Exciton migration and charge transfer in chemically linked P3HT–TiO2nanorod composite

Exciton migration and charge transfer in the chemically linked P3HT–TiO2 nanorod composite (P3HT–Si–nr–TiO2) solution were investigated in comparison with pristine P3HT and physically mixed P3HT/LA–nr–TiO2 solutions. The chemically linked P3HT–Si–nr–TiO2 was made by covalently linking in situ polymerized P3HT onto nr–TiO2 using triethoxy-2-thienylsilane as a linker to replace the initial linoleic acid (LA) capping agent on nr–TiO2. The physically mixed P3HT/LA–nr–TiO2 was prepared by adding ex situ synthesized P3HT into the LA–capped nr–TiO2 solution. In the chemically linked sample, charge transfer from P3HT to TiO2 nanorods was found to occur evidenced by photoluminescence (PL) quenching and ultrafast decay dynamics with a timescale of 0.75 ps. However, both the emission spectra and femtosecond dynamics in physically mixed sample overlapped very well with those from pristine P3HT solution, indicating no PL quenching or charge transfer from P3HT to nr–TiO2. In addition, blue shift in absorbance and PL spectra, larger Stokes shift, and structureless PL spectra found in the chemically linked sample indicated that P3HT formed a more coil-like conformation with more twisted torsion disorders than those in pristine P3HT and physically mixed samples. This is consistent with the femtosecond measurement result that torsional relaxation occurred with a longer decay time and higher amplitude. Moreover, intersystem crossings (ISC) from singlet state (S1) to triplet state (T1) in P3HT of the three samples were all found to occur in a comparable timescale of ∼1 ns and showed no dependence on conformational disorders such as torsional defects.

Engineered doped and codoped polyaniline gas sensors synthesized in N,N,dimethylformamide media

Conducting Polyaniline films (Pani) on Corning glass substrates, produced using either an in-situ doping process or a co-doping process, were prepared by the oxidative polymerization of aniline in N,N,dimethylformamide. Bicyclic aliphatic camphorsulfonic acid (CSA), aromatic toluenesulfonic acid (TSA) and carboxylic trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) were employed as doping agents, and CSA mixed with TSA and CSA mixed with TFA were employed as the co-doping materials. The topography of the Pani films was analyzed by atomic-force microscopy (AFM), and their doping and oxidizing states were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and optical (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Flower-like clusters, microfibers, and nanofibers were obtained by doping with CSA, TSA, and the mix of both (CSATSA), respectively. The flower-like morphology limits the conductivity of the film while the microfiber morphology leads to a highly conductive film. The conductivity of the films increases with the doping level, coil-like conformation of the chain and the protonation of the imine in quinoid units. The codoped process reduces the roughness of the CSA-doped films by 50%, but the conductivity depends on the acid type used for this process (TSA or TFA). The optical gas sensor response of the films is related to both the morphology and the degree of protonation. In this study, Pani with a microfiber morphology obtained from TSA-doping is the most sensitive to ammonia gas sensing, and Pani with flower-like morphology is the least sensitive.