title: Metallopolymer-peptide hybrid materials: synthesis and self-assembly of functional, polyferrocenylsilane-tetrapeptide conjugates.
abstract: Conjugates of poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane) (PFDMS) with Ac-(GA)(2)-OH, Ac-A(4)-OH, Ac-G(4)-OH and Ac-V(4)-OH have been prepared by reaction of the tetrapeptide units with the amino-terminated metallopolymer. The number average degree of polymerisation (DP(n)) of the PFDMS was approximately 20 and comparable materials with shorter (DP(n) ≈ 10) and/or amorphous chains have been prepared by the same procedure. Poly(ferrocenylethylmethylsilane) (PFEMS) was employed for the latter purpose. All conjugates were characterised by GPC, MALDI-TOF MS, NMR and IR spectroscopy. With the exception of Ac-V(4)-PFDMS(20), all materials exhibited some anti-parallel β-sheet structure in the solid state. The self-assembly of the conjugates was studied in toluene by DLS. The vast majority of the materials, irrespective of peptide sequence or chain crystallinity, afforded fibres consisting of a peptidic core surrounded by a PFS corona. These fibres were found in the form of cross-linked networks by TEM and AFM. The accessibility of the chemically reducing PFS corona has been demonstrated by the localised formation of silver nanoparticles on the surface of the fibres.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK.
authors.forename: Siree
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tangbunsuk
authors.forename: George R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Whittell
authors.forename: Maxim G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ryadnov
authors.forename: Guido W M
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Vandermeulen
authors.forename: Derek N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Woolfson
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Manners
mesh_terms: D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D015394:Molecular Structure; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012821:Silanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005296:Ferrous Compounds; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011108:Polymers; D012821:Silanes; C554070:poly(ferrocenylsilane)