A highly ordered material from magnetically aligned peptide amphiphile nanofiber assemblies

The synthesis process of peptide-amphiphile-based nanoribbons with a crystal-like molecular order that can be organized on a macroscopic scale through alignment in a strong magnetic field. The alignment of the monomeric amphiphiles was transferred upon a polymer backbone that can be prepared from these molecules yielding a highly anisotropic material. A polymerizable diacetylene fraction was introduced in the hydrophobic alkyl chains of the peptide amphiphiles to polymerize the assemblies and create a highly conjugated chromopheric structure. Assemblies were found to have a high degree of internal organization following a close packing of the alkyl chains. Peptide amphiphiles can provide a starting point for the generation of materials with a high degree of order on a nanoscopic level that imparts a functional scaffold applicable for various applications such as biominerliazation or cell proliferation.