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Materials based on biodegradable polyesters, such as poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) or poly(butylene terephthalate-co-poly(alkylene glycol) terephthalate) (PBTAT), have potential application as pro-regenerative scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Herein, the preparation of films composed of PBT or PBTAT and an engineered spider silk protein, (eADF4(C16)), that displays multiple carboxylic acid moieties capable of binding calcium ions and facilitating their biomineralization with calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate is reported. Human mesenchymal stem cells cultured on films mineralized with calcium phosphate show enhanced levels of alkaline phosphatase activity suggesting that such composites have potential use for bone tissue engineering.
The effect of cellulose-based polyelectrolytes on biomimetic calcium phosphate mineralization is described. Three cellulose derivatives, a polyanion, a polycation, and a polyzwitterion were used as additives. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, IR and Raman spectroscopy show that, depending on the composition of the starting solution, hydroxyapatite or brushite precipitates form. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy also show that significant amounts of nitrate ions are incorporated in the precipitates. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy shows that the Ca/P ratio varies throughout the samples and resembles that of other bioinspired calcium phosphate hybrid materials. Elemental analysis shows that the carbon (i.e., polymer) contents reach 10% in some samples, clearly illustrating the formation of a true hybrid material. Overall, the data indicate that a higher polymer concentration in the reaction mixture favors the formation of polymer-enriched materials, while lower polymer concentrations or high precursor concentrations favor the formation of products that are closely related to the control samples precipitated in the absence of polymer. The results thus highlight the potential of (water-soluble) cellulose derivatives for the synthesis and design of bioinspired and bio-based hybrid materials.
Herstellung anisotroper Kolloide mittels templatgesteuerter Assemblierung und Kontaktdruckverfahren
(2017)
Diese Arbeit befasste sich mit neuen Konzepten zur Darstellung anisotroper Partikelsysteme durch Anordnung von funktionalisierten Partikeln unter Zuhilfenahme etablierter Methoden wie der templatgestützten Assemblierung von Partikeln und dem Mikrokontaktdruck.
Das erste Teilprojekt beschäftigte sich mit der kontrollierten Herstellung von Faltenstrukturen im Mikro- bis Nanometerbereich. Die Faltenstrukturen entstehen durch die Relaxation eines Systems bestehend aus zwei übereinander liegender Schichten unterschiedlicher Elastizität. In diesem Fall wurden Falten auf einem elastischen PDMS-Substrat durch Generierung einer Oxidschicht auf der Substratoberfläche mittels Plasmabehandlung erzeugt. Die Dicke der Oxidschicht, die über verschiedene Parameter wie Behandlungszeit, Prozessleistung, Partialdruck des plasmaaktiven Gases, Vernetzungsgrad, Deformation sowie Substratdicke einstellbar war, bestimmte Wellenlänge und Amplitude der Falten.
Das zweite Teilprojekt hatte die Darstellung komplexer, kolloidaler Strukturen auf Basis supramolekularer Wechselwirkungen zum Ziel. Dazu sollte vor allem die templatgestützte Assemblierung von Partikeln sowohl an fest-flüssig als auch flüssig-flüssig Grenzflächen genutzt werden. Für Erstere sollten die in Teilprojekt 1 hergestellten Faltenstrukturen als Templat, für Letztere Pickering-Emulsionen zur Anwendung kommen. Im ersten Fall wurden verschiedene, modifizierte Silicapartikel und Magnetitnanopartikel, deren Größe und Oberflächenfunktionalität (Cyclodextrin-, Azobenzol- und Arylazopyrazolgruppen) variierte, in Faltenstrukturen angeordnet. Die Anordnung hing dabei nicht nur vom gewählten Verfahren, sondern auch von Faktoren wie der Partikelkonzentration, der Oberflächenladung oder dem Größenverhältnis der Partikel zur Faltengeometrie ab.
Die Kombination von Cyclodextrin (CD)- und Arylazopyrazol-modifizierten Partikeln ermöglichte, auf Basis einer Wirt-Gast-Wechselwirkung zwischen den Partikeltypen und einer templatgesteuerten Anordnung, die Bildung komplexer und strukturierter Formen in der Größenordnung mehrerer Mikrometer. Dieses System kann einerseits als Grundlage für die Herstellung verschiedener Janus-Partikel herangezogen werden, andererseits stellt die gerichtete Vernetzung zweier Partikelsysteme zu größeren Aggregaten den Grundstein für neuartige, funktionale Materialien dar. Neben der Anordnung an fest-flüssig Grenzflächen konnte außerdem nachgewiesen werden, dass Azobenzol-funktionalisierte Silicapartikel in der Lage sind, Pickering-Emulsionen über mehrere Monate zu stabilisieren. Die Stabilität und Größe der Emulsionsphase kann über Parameter, wie das Volumenverhältnis und die Konzentration, gesteuert werden. CD-funktionalisierte Silicapartikel besaßen dagegen keine Grenzflächenaktivität, während es CD-basierten Polymeren wiederum möglich war, durch die Ausbildung von Einschlusskomplexen mit den hydrophoben Molekülen der Ölphase stabile Emulsionen zu bilden. Dagegen zeigte die Kombination zwei verschiedener Partikelsysteme keinen oder einen destabilisierenden Effekt bezüglich der Ausbildung von Emulsionen.
Im letzten Teilprojekt wurde die Herstellung multivalenter Silicapartikel mittels Mikrokontaktdruck untersucht. Die Faltenstrukturen wurden dabei als Stempel verwendet, wodurch es möglich war, die Patch-Geometrie über die Wellenlänge der Faltenstrukturen zu steuern. Als Tinte diente das positiv geladene Polyelektrolyt Polyethylenimin (PEI), welches über elektrostatische Wechselwirkungen auf unmodifizierten Silicapartikeln haftet. Im Gegensatz zum Drucken mit flachen Stempeln fiel dabei zunächst auf, dass sich die Tinte bei den Faltenstrukturen nicht gleichmäßig über die gesamte Substratfläche verteilt, sondern hauptsächlich in den Faltentälern vorlag. Dadurch handelte es sich bei dem Druckprozess letztlich nicht mehr um ein klassisches Mikrokontaktdruckverfahren, sondern um ein Tiefdruckverfahren. Über das Tiefdruckverfahren war es dann aber möglich, sowohl eine als auch beide Partikelhemisphären gleichzeitig und mit verschiedenen Funktionalitäten zu modifizieren und somit multivalente Silicapartikel zu generieren. In Abhängigkeit der Wellenlänge der Falten konnten auf einer Partikelhemisphäre zwei bis acht Patches abgebildet werden. Für die Patch-Geometrie, sprich Größe und Form der Patches, spielten zudem die Konzentration der Tinte auf dem Stempel, das Lösungsmittel zum Ablösen der Partikel nach dem Drucken sowie die Stempelhärte eine wichtige Rolle. Da die Stempelhärte aufgrund der variierenden Dicke der Oxidschicht bei verschiedenen Wellenlängen nicht kontant ist, wurden für den Druckprozess meist Abgüsse der Faltensubstrate verwendet. Auf diese Weise war auch die Vergleichbarkeit bei variierender Wellenlänge gewährleistet. Neben dem erfolgreichen Nachweis der Modifikation mittels Tiefdruckverfahren konnte auch gezeigt werden, dass über die Komplexierung mit PEI negativ geladene Nanopartikel auf die Partikeloberfläche aufgebracht werden können.
Among modern functional materials, the class of nitrogen-containing carbons combines non-toxicity and sustainability with outstanding properties. The versatility of this materials class is based on the opportunity to tune electronic and catalytic properties via the nitrogen content and –motifs: This ranges from the electronically conducting N-doped carbon, where few carbon atoms in the graphitic lattice are substituted by nitrogen, to the organic semiconductor graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), with a structure based on tri-s-triazine units.
In general, composites can reveal outstanding catalytic properties due to synergistic behavior, e.g. the formation of electronic heterojunctions. In this thesis, the formation of an “all-carbon” heterojunction was targeted, i.e. differences in the electronic properties of the single components were achieved by the introduction of different nitrogen motives into the carbon lattice. Such composites are promising as metal-free catalysts for the photocatalytic water splitting. Here, hydrogen can be generated from water by light irradiation with the use of a photocatalyst. As first part of the heterojunction, the organic semiconductor g-C₃N₄ was employed, because of its suitable band structure for photocatalytic water splitting, high stability and non-toxicity. The second part was chosen as C₂N, a recently discovered semiconductor. Compared to g-C₃N₄, the less nitrogen containing C₂N has a smaller band gap and a higher absorption coefficient in the visible light range, which is expected to increase the optical absorption in the composite eventually leading to an enhanced charge carrier separation due to the formation of an electronic heterojunction.
The aim of preparing an “all-carbon” composite included the research on appropriate precursors for the respective components g-C₃N₄ and C₂N, as well as strategies for appropriate structuring. This was targeted by applying precursors which can form supramolecular pre-organized structures. This allows for more control over morphology and atom patterns during the carbonization process.
In the first part of this thesis, it was demonstrated how the photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄ can be increased by the targeted introduction of defects or surface terminations. This was achieved by using caffeine as a “growth stopping” additive during the formation of the hydrogen-bonded supramolecular precursor complexes. The increased photocatalytic activity of the obtained materials was demonstrated with dye degradation experiments.
The second part of this thesis was focused on the synthesis of the second component C₂N. Here, a deep eutectic mixture from hexaketocyclohexane and urea was structured using the biopolymer chitosan. This scaffolding resulted in mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon monoliths and beads. CO₂- and dye-adsorption experiments with the obtained monolith material revealed a high isosteric heat of CO₂-adsorption and showed the accessibility of the monolithic pore system to larger dye molecules. Furthermore, a novel precursor system for C₂N was explored, based on organic crystals from squaric acid and urea. The respective C₂N carbon with an unusual sheet-like morphology could be synthesized by carbonization of the crystals at 550 °C. With this precursor system, also microporous C₂N carbon with a BET surface area of 865 m²/g was obtained by “salt-templating” with ZnCl₂.
Finally, the preparation of a g-C₃N₄/C₂N “all carbon” composite heterojunction was attempted by the self-assembly of g-C₃N₄ and C₂N nanosheets and tested for photocatalytic water splitting. Indeed, the composites revealed high rates of hydrogen evolution when compared to bulk g-C₃N₄. However, the increased catalytic activity was mainly attributed to the high surface area of the nanocomposites rather than to the composition. With regard to alternative composite synthesis ways, first experiments indicated N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidon to be suitable for higher concentrated dispersion of C₂N nanosheets. Eventually, the results obtained in this thesis provide precious synthetic contributions towards the preparation and processing of carbon/nitrogen compounds for energy applications.
In the present work side-chain polystyrenes were synthesized and characterized, in order to be applied in multilayer OLEDs fabricated by solution process techniques. Manufacture of optoelectronic devices by solution process techniques is meant to decrease significantly fabrication cost and allow large scale production of such devices.
This dissertation focusses in three series, enveloped in two material classes. The two classes differ to each other in the type of charge transport exhibited, either ambipolar transport or electron transport. All materials were applied in all-organic solution processed green Ir-based devices.
In the first part, a series of ambipolar host materials were developed to transport both charge types, holes and electrons, and be applied especially as matrix for green Ir-based emitters. It was possible to increase devices efficacy by modulating the predominant charge transport type. This was achieved by modification of molecules electron transport part with more electron-deficient heterocycles or by extending the delocalization of the LUMO. Efficiencies up to 28.9 cd/A were observed for all-organic solution-process three layer devices.
In the second part, suitability of triarylboranes and tetraphenylsilanes as electron transport materials was studied. High triplet energies were obtained, up to 2.95 eV, by rational combination of both molecular structures. Although the combination of both elements had a low effect in materials electron transport properties, high efficiencies around 24 cd/A were obtained for the series in all-organic solution-processed two layer devices.
In the last part, benzene and pyridine were chosen as the series electron-transport motif. By controlling the relative pyridine content (RPC) solubility into methanol was induced for polystyrenes with bulky side-chains. Materials with RPC ≥ 0.5 could be deposited orthogonally from solution without harming underlying layers. From the best of our knowledge, this is the first time such materials are applied in this architecture showing moderate efficiencies around 10 cd/A in all-organic solution processed OLEDs.
Overall, the outcome of these studies will actively contribute to the current research on materials for all-solution processed OLEDs.
In this work, a sensor system based on thermoresponsive materials is developed by utilizing a modular approach. By synthesizing three different key monomers containing either a carboxyl, alkene or alkyne end group connected with a spacer to the methacrylic polymerizable unit, a flexible copolymerization strategy has been set up with oligo ethylene glycol methacrylates. This allows to tune the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the polymers in aqueous media. The molar masses are variable thanks to the excurse taken in polymerization in ionic liquids thus stretching molar masses from 25 to over 1000 kDa. The systems that were shown shown to be effective in aqueous solution could be immobilized on surfaces by copolymerizing photo crosslinkable units. The immobilized systems were formulated to give different layer thicknesses, swelling ratios and mesh sizes depending on the demand of the coupling reaction.
The coupling of detector units or model molecules is approached via reactions of the click chemistry pool, and the reactions are evaluated on their efficiency under those aspects, too. These coupling reactions are followed by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) to judge efficiency. With these tools at hand, Salmonella saccharides could be selectively detected by SPR. Influenza viruses were detected in solution by turbidimetry in solution as well as by a copolymerized solvatochromic dye to track binding via the changes of the polymers’ fluorescence by said binding event. This effect could also be achieved by utilizing the thermoresponsive behavior. Another demonstrator consists of the detection system bound to a quartz surface, thus allowing the virus detection on a solid carrier.
The experiments show the great potential of combining the concepts of thermoresponsive materials and click chemistry to develop technically simple sensors for large biomolecules and viruses.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte gezeigt werden, dass die beiden verwendeten Amphiphile mit Cholesterol als hydrophoben Block, gute Template für die Mineralisation von Calciumphosphat an der Wasser/Luft-Grenzfläche sind. Mittels Infrarot-Reflexions-Absorptions-Spektroskopie (IRRAS), Röntgenphotoelektronenspektroskopie (XPS), Energie dispersiver Röntgenspektroskopie (EDXS), Elektronenbeugung (SAED) und hochauflösende Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie (HRTEM) konnte die erfolgreiche Mineralisation von Calciumphosphat für beide Amphiphile an der Wasser/Luft-Grenzfläche nachgewiesen werden. Es konnte auch gezeigt werden, dass das Phasenverhalten der beiden Amphiphile und die bei der Mineralisation von Calciumphosphat gebildeten Kristallphasen nicht identisch sind. Beide Amphiphile üben demnach einen unterschiedlichen Einfluss auf den Mineralisationsverlauf aus.
Beim CHOL-HEM konnte sowohl nach 3 h als auch nach 5 h Octacalciumphosphat (OCP) als einzige Kristallphase mittels XPS, SAED, HRTEM und EDXS nachgewiesen werden. Das A-CHOL hingegen zeigte bei der Mineralisation von Calciumphosphat nach 1 h zunächst eine nicht eindeutig identifizierbare Vorläuferphase aus amorphen Calciumphosphat, Brushit (DCPD) oder OCP. Diese wandelte sich dann nach 3 h und 5 h in ein Gemisch, bestehend aus OCP und ein wenig Hydroxylapatit (HAP) um.
Die Schlussfolgerung daraus ist, dass das CHOL-HEM in der Lage ist, dass während der Mineralisation entstandene OCP zu stabilisieren. Dies geschieht vermutlich durch die Adsorption des Amphiphils bevorzugt an der OCP Oberfläche in [100] Orientierung. Dadurch wird die Spaltung entlang der c-Achse unterdrückt und die Hydrolyse zum HAP verhindert.
Das A-CHOL ist hingegen sterisch anspruchsvoller und kann wahrscheinlich aufgrund seiner Größe nicht so gut an der OCP Kristalloberfläche adsorbieren verglichen zum CHOL HEM. Das CHOL-HEM kann also die Hydrolyse von OCP zu HAP besser unterdrücken als das A-CHOL. Da jedoch auch beim A-CHOL nach einer Mineralisationszeit von 5 h nur wenig HAP zu finden ist, wäre auch hier ein Stabilisierungseffekt der OCP Kristalle möglich. Um eine genaue Aussage darüber treffen zu können, sind jedoch zusätzliche Kontrollexperimente notwendig. Es wäre zum einen denkbar, die Mineralisationsexperimente über einen längeren Zeitraum durchzuführen. Diese könnten zeigen, ob das CHOL-HEM die Hydrolyse vom OCP zum HAP komplett unterdrückt. Außerdem könnte nachgewiesen werden, ob beim A-CHOL das OCP weiter zum HAP umgesetzt wird oder ob ein Gemisch beider Kristallphasen erhalten bleibt.
Um die Mineralisation an der Wasser/Luft-Grenzfläche mit der Mineralisation in Bulklösung zu vergleichen, wurden zusätzlich Mineralisationsexperimente in Bulklösung durchgeführt. Dazu wurden Nitrilotriessigsäure (NTA) und Ethylendiamintetraessigsäure (EDTA) als Mineralisationsadditive verwendet, da NTA unter anderem der Struktur der hydrophilen Kopfgruppe des A-CHOLs ähnelt. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass ein Vergleich der Mineralisation an der Grenzfläche mit der Mineralisation in Bulklösung nicht ohne weiteres möglich ist. Bei der Mineralisation in Bulklösung wird bei tiefen pH-Werten DCPD und bei höheren pH-Werten HAP gebildet. Diese wurde mittels Röntgenpulverdiffraktometrie Messungen nachgewiesen und durch Infrarotspektroskopie bekräftigt. Die Bildung von OCP wie an der Wasser/Luft-Grenzfläche konnte nicht beobachtet werden.
Es konnte auch gezeigt werden, dass beide Additive NTA und EDTA einen unterschiedlichen Einfluss auf den Verlauf der Mineralisation nehmen. So unterscheiden sich zum einen die Morphologien des gebildeten DCPDs und zum anderen wurde beispielsweise in Anwesenheit von 10 und 15 mM NTA neben DCPD auch HAP bei einem Ausgangs-pH-Wert von 7 nachgewiesen.
Da unser Augenmerk speziell auf der Mineralisation von Calciumphosphat an der Wasser/Luft-Grenzfläche liegt, könnten Folgeexperimente wie beispielsweise GIXD Messungen durchgeführt werden. Dadurch wäre es möglich, einen Überblick über die gebildeten Kristallphasen nach unterschiedlichen Reaktionszeiten direkt auf dem Trog zu erhalten.
Es konnte weiterhin gezeigt werden, dass auch einfache Amphiphile in der Lage sind, die Mineralisation von Calciumphosphat zu steuern. Amphiphile mit Cholesterol als hydrophoben Block bilden offensichtlich besonders stabile Monolagen an der Wasser/Luft-Grenzfläche. Eine Untersuchung des Einflusses ähnlicher Amphiphile mit unterschiedlichen hydrophilen Kopfgruppen auf das Mineralisationsverhalten von Calciumphosphat wäre durchaus interessant.
I. Ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) mediated thiocyanate radical additions to glycals
In this dissertation, a facile entry was developed for the synthesis of 2-thiocarbohydrates and their transformations. Initially, CAN mediated thiocyanation of carbohydrates was carried out to obtain the basic building blocks (2-thiocyanates) for the entire studies. Subsequently, 2-thiocyanates were reduced to the corresponding thiols using appropriate reagents and reaction conditions. The screening of substrates, stereochemical outcome and the reaction mechanism are discussed briefly (Scheme I).
Scheme I. Synthesis of the 2-thiocyanates II and reductions to 2-thiols III & IV.
An interesting mechanism was proposed for the reduction of 2-thiocyanates II to 2-thiols III via formation of a disulfide intermediate. The water soluble free thiols IV were obtained by cleaving the thiocyanate and benzyl groups in a single step. In the subsequent part of studies, the synthetic potential of the 2-thiols was successfully expanded by simple synthetic transformations.
II. Transformations of the 2-thiocarbohydrates
The 2-thiols were utilized for convenient transformations including sulfa-Michael additions, nucleophilic substitutions, oxidation to disulfides and functionalization at the anomeric position. The diverse functionalizations of the carbohydrates at the C-2 position by means of the sulfur linkage are the highlighting feature of these studies. Thus, it creates an opportunity to expand the utility of 2-thiocarbohydrates for biological studies.
Reagents and conditions: a) I2, pyridine, THF, rt, 15 min; b) K2CO3, MeCN, rt, 1 h; c) MeI, K2CO3, DMF, 0 °C, 5 min; d) Ac2O, H2SO4 (1 drop), rt, 10 min; e) CAN, MeCN/H2O, NH4SCN, rt, 1 h; f) NaN3, ZnBr2, iPrOH/H2O, reflux, 15 h; g) NaOH (1 M), TBAI, benzene, rt, 2 h; h) ZnCl2, CHCl3, reflux, 3 h.
Scheme II. Functionalization of 2-thiocarbohydrates.
These transformations have enhanced the synthetic value of 2-thiocarbohydrates for the preparative scale. Worth to mention is the Lewis acid catalyzed replacement of the methoxy group by other nucleophiles and the synthesis of the (2→1) thiodisaccharides, which were obtained with complete β-selectivity. Additionally, for the first time, the carbohydrate linked thiotetrazole was synthesized by a (3 + 2) cycloaddition approach at the C-2 position.
III. Synthesis of thiodisaccharides by thiol-ene coupling.
In the final part of studies, the synthesis of thiodisaccharides by a classical photoinduced thiol-ene coupling was successfully achieved.
Reagents and conditions: 2,2-Dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DPAP), CH2Cl2/EtOH, hv, rt.
Scheme III. Thiol-ene coupling between 2-thiols and exo-glycals.
During the course of investigations, it was found that the steric hindrance plays an important role in the addition of bulky thiols to endo-glycals. Thus, we successfully screened the suitable substrates for addition of various thiols to sterically less hindered alkenes (Scheme III). The photochemical addition of 2-thiols to three different exo-glycals delivered excellent regio- and diastereoselectivities as well as yields, which underlines the synthetic potential of this convenient methodology.
The field of nanophotonics focuses on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter on the nanometer scale. The elements of nanoscale photonic devices can transfer excitation energy non-radiatively from an excited donor molecule to an acceptor molecule by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The efficiency of this energy transfer is highly dependent on the donor-acceptor distance. Hence, in these nanoscale photonic devices it is of high importance to have a good control over the spatial assembly of used fluorophores. Based on molecular self-assembly processes, various nanostructures can be produced. Here, DNA nanotechnology and especially the DNA origami technique are auspicious self-assembling methods. By using DNA origami nanostructures different fluorophores can be introduced with a high local control to create a variety of nanoscale photonic objects. The applications of such nanostructures range from photonic wires and logic gates for molecular computing to artificial light harvesting systems for artificial photosynthesis.
In the present cumulative doctoral thesis, different FRET systems on DNA origami structures have been designed and thoroughly analyzed. Firstly, the formation of guanine (G) quadruplex structures from G rich DNA sequences has been studied based on a two-color FRET system (Fluorescein (FAM)/Cyanine3 (Cy3)). Here, the influences of different cations (Na+ and K+), of the DNA origami structure and of the DNA sequence on the G-quadruplex formation have been analyzed. In this study, an ion-selective K+ sensing scheme based on the G-quadruplex formation on DNA origami structures has been developed. Subsequently, the reversibility of the G-quadruplex formation on DNA origami structures has been evaluated. This has been done for the simple two-color FRET system which has then been advanced to a switchable photonic wire by introducing additional fluorophores (FAM/Cy3/Cyanine5 (Cy5)/IRDye®700). In the last part, the emission intensity of the acceptor molecule (Cy5) in a three-color FRET cascade has been tuned by arranging multiple donor (FAM) and transmitter (Cy3) molecules around the central acceptor molecule. In such artificial light harvesting systems, the excitation energy is absorbed by several donor and transmitter molecules followed by an energy transfer to the acceptor leading to a brighter Cy5 emission. Furthermore, the range of possible excitation wavelengths is extended by using several different fluorophores (FAM/Cy3/Cy5). In this part of the thesis, the light harvesting efficiency (antenna effect) and the FRET efficiency of different donor/transmitter/acceptor assemblies have been analyzed and the artificial light harvesting complex has been optimized in this respect.
Proteins are natural polypeptides produced by cells; they can be found in both animals and plants, and possess a variety of functions. One of these functions is to provide structural support to the surrounding cells and tissues. For example, collagen (which is found in skin, cartilage, tendons and bones) and keratin (which is found in hair and nails) are structural proteins. When a tissue is damaged, however, the supporting matrix formed by structural proteins cannot always spontaneously regenerate. Tailor-made synthetic polypeptides can be used to help heal and restore tissue formation.
Synthetic polypeptides are typically synthesized by the so-called ring opening polymerization (ROP) of α-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA). Such synthetic polypeptides are generally non-sequence-controlled and thus less complex than proteins. As such, synthetic polypeptides are rarely as efficient as proteins in their ability to self-assemble and form hierarchical or structural supramolecular assemblies in water, and thus, often require rational designing. In this doctoral work, two types of amino acids, γ-benzyl-L/D-glutamate (BLG / BDG) and allylglycine (AG), were selected to synthesize a series of (co)polypeptides of different compositions and molar masses.
A new and versatile synthetic route to prepare polypeptides was developed, and its mechanism and kinetics were investigated. The polypeptide properties were thoroughly studied and new materials were developed from them. In particular, these polypeptides were able to aggregate (or self-assemble) in solution into microscopic fibres, very similar to those formed by collagen. By doing so, they formed robust physical networks and organogels which could be processed into high water-content, pH-responsive hydrogels. Particles with highly regular and chiral spiral morphologies were also obtained by emulsifying these polypeptides. Such polypeptides and the materials derived from them are, therefore, promising candidates for biomedical applications.