Journal
NANOSCALE
Volume 8, Issue 31, Pages 14814-14820Publisher
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
DOI: 10.1039/c6nr04672j
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Funding
- startup fund from the Shenzhen University
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [81401465, 51573096]
- Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the NIBIB/NIH
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We report the investigation of the self-assembly mechanism of nanofibers, using a small peptide amphiphile (NapFFKYp) as a model. Combining experimental and simulation methods, we identify the self-assembly pathways in the solution and on the substrates, respectively. In the solution, peptide amphiphiles undergo the nucleation process to grow into nanofibers. The nanofibers can further twist into high-ordered nanofibers with aging. On the substrates, peptide amphiphiles form nanofibers and nanosheet structures simultaneously. This surface-induced nanosheet consists of rod-like structures, and its thickness is substrate-dependent. Most intriguingly, water can transform the nanosheet into the nanofiber. Molecular dynamic simulation suggests that hydrophobic and ion-ion interactions are dominant forces during the self-assembly process.
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