Amphiphilic Peptide Self-Assembly: Expansion to Hybrid Materials

Biomacromolecules. 2017 Nov 13;18(11):3471-3480. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.7b00764. Epub 2017 Aug 10.

Abstract

The design of functional systems with sizes in the nanometer range is a key challenge in fields such as biomedicine, nanotechnology, and engineering. Some of the most promising materials nowadays consist of self-assembling peptides or peptide-polymer hybrid materials because of their versatility and the resulting properties that can be achieved with these structures. Self-assembly of pure amphiphilic peptides or in combination with block copolymers results in a large variety of nanostructures (micelles, nanoparticles (NPs), compartments, planar membranes) each with different characteristics and tunable properties. Here, we describe such novel peptide- or peptide-polymer-based supramolecular nanostructures and emphasize their functionality and various promising applications.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Nanostructures / chemistry
  • Nanotechnology / trends*
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry*

Substances

  • Peptides
  • Polymers
  • Surface-Active Agents