Liquid crystalline period variations in self-assembled block copolypeptides-surfactant ionic complexes

Li, Chaoxu; Li, Jingguo; Zhang, Xiuqiang; Zhang, Afang; Mezzenga, Raffaele

doi:10.1002/marc.200900633

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Journal article

Liquid crystalline period variations in self-assembled block copolypeptides-surfactant ionic complexes

Li, Chaoxu Department of Physics and Fribourg Center for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Li, Jingguo School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, China
Zhang, Xiuqiang School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, China
Zhang, Afang School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, China
Mezzenga, Raffaele Department of Physics and Fribourg Center for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Nestlé Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland

01.12.2009

Published in:

Macromolecular Rapid Communications. - 2010, vol. 31, no. 3, p. 265-269

English We investigate the complexation of ampholytic poly(N-isopropylacylamide)-block-poly- (L-glutamic acid)-block-poly(L-lysine) (PNiPAM-b-PLG-b-PLLys) triblock copolymers and PNiPAM-block-(PLG-co-PLLys) diblock copolymers with counter charged anionic and cationic surfactants. Both triblock and diblock copolymers are able to selectively form complexes through either L-glutamic acid-cationic surfactant or L-lysine-anionic surfactant ionic pairs, depending on the protonated or deprotonated states of the ampholytic peptide units. The complexes show ordering at multiple length scales: i) the block copolymer length scale (10¹ nm), ii) the liquid crystalline length scale (10⁰ nm), and, iii) the peptidic secondary structures length scale (10⁰ nm). We show that the liquid crystalline period can be tuned by varying the random/block copolypeptide architectures and the composition of the ampholytic amino acid species.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Département de Physique

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