Supramolecular Polymers Formed by ABC Miktoarm Star Peptides

We report here the design and synthesis of an ABC miktoarm star peptide connecting through a lysine junction a short peptide sequence and two hydrophobic but immiscible blocks (a hydrocarbon and a fluorocarbon). The designed molecule can self-assemble into one-dimensional nanostructures with a great diversity of kinetically evolving morphologies in aqueous solution, while molecules that contain only one of the two hydrophobic blocks form structurally similar filaments. We believe the rich assembly behavior and morphological evolution are a direct reflection of the molecular frustration present within the filament core as a result of the incompatibility of the fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon segments. Our finding opens new opportunities for creating complex supramolecular polymers through the architecture design of small molecular building units.