Self-assembled peptoid membranes, 2.7 nm thick
“Free-floating ultrathin two-dimensional crystals from sequence-specific peptoid polymers”, K.T. Nam et al., Nature Materials (on web: April, 2010)
Fresh from Ron Zuckerman’s lab at the Molecular Foundry: a new kind of molecular membrane — thin and crystalline — made by self-assembly of peptoid oligomers. As I discussed in an earlier post, peptoids have remarkable potential as building blocks for self-assembled nanosystems. Peptoids are peptide-like structures, but with monomers that can be chosen from among thousands of readily-available building blocks (a broad class of primary amines). Some of my enthusiasm for peptoids came from an early peek at the results now reported in Nature Materials.
Reports of new nanoscale constructs turn up almost every day, and they often include claims of wondrous potential applications that are literally incredible. It’s refreshing to read a paper making bold claims like these —
The ability to efficiently create functionalized 2D crystals by spontaneous assembly will lead to many applications in device fabrication, nanoscale synthesis and imaging, membrane mimetics, sensors and separations. More generally, the ability to mimic protein architecture with synthetic polymers should eventually enable new families of robust artificial proteins with highly specific functionality.
— and to find them thoroughly credible.
News of the paper has been reported from the Berkeley Labs News Center, in Chemical & Engineering News, and at Wired.com.
Here’s view of an idealized sheet, looking across rows of chains with alternating positive and negative charge on the outer surfaces and hydrophobic phenethyl sidechains sandwiched between:
Note the modified chain at the lower right.
See also:
- Peptoids at the Molecular Foundry
- Modular Molecular Composite Nanosystems
- A Third Revolution in DNA Nanotechnology
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Dr Drexler:
Great to see such good developments;
1)Do you think these peptoid sheets could be used for separation of materials in a composite nanosystem, as a wall allowing some molecules though and not others? Do you think there are any other application, in terms of nanosystems, for this material?
2)The synthesis consists of acylation and displacement reaction (Sn2) (do not need to protective groups) and the building blocks are cheap and readily available and they produce high yields. Is this the best for method for self-assembly of man made polymers that can be utilized to produce (integrated) into composite nanosystems you know?
Thanks
Thomas