Mechanical reinforcement of polymeric fibers through peptide nanotube incorporation.
High aspect ratio nanotubular assemblies can be effective fillers in mechanically reinforced composite materials. However, most existing nanotubes used for structural purposes are limited in their range of mechanical, chemical, and biological properties. We demonstrate an alternative approach to mechanical reinforcement of polymeric systems by incorporating synthetic D,L-cyclic peptide nanotube bundles as a structural filler in electrospun poly D-, L-lactic acid fibers. The nanotube bundles self-assemble through dynamic hydrogen bonding from synthetic cyclic peptides to yield structures whose dimensions can be altered based on processing conditions, and can be up to hundreds of micrometers long and several hundred nanometers wide. With 8 wt % peptide loading, the composite fibers are >5-fold stiffer than fibers composed of the polymer alone, according to atomic force microscopy-based indentation experiments. This represents a new use for self-assembling cyclic peptides as a load-bearing component in biodegradable composite materials.
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States.
Daniel J
DJ
Rubin
Hadi T
HT
Nia
Thierry
T
Desire
Peter Q
PQ
Nguyen
Michael
M
Gevelber
Christine
C
Ortiz
Neel S
NS
Joshi
D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D015394:Molecular Structure; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D011108:Polymers