title: Solvothermally Mediated Self-Assembly of Ultralong Peptide Nanobelts Capable of Optical Waveguiding.
abstract: The formation of ultralong peptide crystalline nanobelts using a solvothermal approach from a di-phenylalanine gel within 10 min, where the self-assembly process is accelerated by several orders of magnitude compared with the month-long glutaraldehyde induction method previously reported, has been demonstrated. The solvothermal treatment can facilitate the phase separation of di-phenylalanine gels while speeding up the kinetics of the intramolecular cyclization reaction and concomitant crystallization. Moreover, the modulation effect of formaldehyde as an additive is revealed, and that a small amount of formaldehyde leads to thicker crystalline platelets capable of curved optical waveguiding that can potentially be applied in advanced bio-optical and optoelectronic devices, a rare feat with peptide-based crystals.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yongxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.|Center for Mesoscience, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
authors.forename: Linyin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.|Center for Mesoscience, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
authors.forename: Anhe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.|Center for Mesoscience, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
authors.forename: Xuehai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D008027:Light; D008422:Materials Testing; D008970:Molecular Weight; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000737:chemistry*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012031:Refractometry / Q000379:methods*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000379:methods*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D012997:Solvents; D010649:Phenylalanine
keywords: crystalline nanobelts; optical waveguiding; peptide; self-assembly; solvothermal process