Self-assembled PEO-peptide nanotapes as ink for plotting nonwoven silica nanocomposites and mesoporous silica fiber networks

Macroscopic networks of oriented polymer-silica composite fibers can be accessed via a convenient 2D-plotting process. By using self-assembled PEO-peptide nanotapes as an ink to draw the composite fibers, the macroscopic form of the fiber networks, the line width, and both network orientation as well as network anisotropy can be defined. The plotting process relies on a biomimetic silicification route, which combines self-assembly and peptide-directed silicification in a cooperative manner. The local injection of PEO-peptide nanotapes into a thin layer of a dilute solution of pre-hydrolyzed TMOS leads to the rapid formation of the composite fibers, which exhibit several levels of hierarchical order. It was shown, that the rate of plotting is a parameter, enabling one to control the line width and the orientation of the nano- and sub-micrometer structure elements in the network. Moreover, the plotted composite fibers can be used as precursors for networks of oriented, mesoporous silica-fibers. After calcination procedures, non-woven silica fabrics can be obtained with high surface areas and cylindrical pores aligned in plot direction.