title: Kinetically controlled self-assembly of redox-active ferrocene-diphenylalanine: from nanospheres to nanofibers.
abstract: Putting metals into organic compounds such as peptides can lead to many new desirable properties. Here we designed a novel bioorganometallic molecule, ferrocene-diphenylalanine (Fc-FF), and investigated its self-assembly behavior. We directly observed a morphological transition from metastable nanospheres to nanofibers, which led to the formation of a self-supporting hydrogel. The strong hydrophobic interaction of the Fc moiety was suggested to have a key role in this kinetically controlled self-assembly process. Moreover, the redox center of the ferrocene group further allowed us to reversibly control the self-assembly behavior of Fc-FF by altering its redox state.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuefei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Renliang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Zhongjie
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Rongxin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004151:Dipeptides; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D007700:Kinetics; D008027:Light; D000075163:Metallocenes; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010316:Particle Size; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D012212:Rheology; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D005296:Ferrous Compounds; D000075163:Metallocenes; C026650:phenylalanylphenylalanine; D010649:Phenylalanine; C004998:ferrocene