title: One-step fabrication of self-assembled peptide thin films with highly dispersed noble metal nanoparticles.
abstract: Fabrication of organic thin films with highly dispersed inorganic nanoparticles is a very challenging topic. In this work, a new approach that combines electron-induced molecular self-assembly with simultaneous nanoparticle formation by room temperature electron reduction was developed to prepare peptide thin films with highly dispersed noble metal nanoparticles. Argon glow discharge was employed as the resource of electrons. The peptide motif KLVFF (Aβ16-20) self-assembled into two-dimensional membranes under the influence of hydrated electrons, while the metal ions in solution can be simultaneously reduced by electrons to form nanoparticles. Our TEM imaging reveals that metal nanoparticles were well-distributed in the resulting peptide thin films. Our results also suggest that the size of metal nanoparticles can be tuned by varying the initial concentration of the metal ion. This simple approach can be viewed as a promising strategy to create hybrid thin films that integrate functional inorganics into biomolecule scaffolds.
authors: Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University , Tianjin 300072, China.
authors: Jinmao
authors: J
authors: Yan
authors: Yunxiang
authors: Y
authors: Pan
authors: Andrew G
authors: AG
authors: Cheetham
authors: Yi-An
authors: YA
authors: Lin
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Wang
authors: Honggang
authors: H
authors: Cui
authors: Chang-Jun
authors: CJ
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D001128:Argon / Q000737:chemistry; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D001128:Argon; D006046:Gold