Spontaneous construction of nanoperiodic architecture by two-dimensional self-assembly of an amphiphilic peptide–polyethylene glycol conjugate at the solid/water interface

• A novel method for a precisely controlled planar nanoarchitecture was developed.
• Nano-arrays were spontaneously fabricated by adsorption of a peptide-PEG conjugate.
• A random-coil/β-sheet transition occurred specifically at the solid/water interface.
• LCST of PEG segment influenced uniformity of the 2D nanoarchitectures.

An amphiphilic peptide derivative, conjugated to polyethylene glycol (PEG) via the C-terminus, spontaneously assembled into nanodot and nanofiber arrays aligned with nanometer periodicity at the solid/water interface. The obtained planar structure was precisely controlled by the β-sheet conformation of the peptide on the surface, while the peptide segment adopted a random-coil in aqueous solution. The peptide and PEG segments were hierarchically segregated after the peptide-PEG conjugate was adsorbed on the substrate, and the peptide segment transitioned from a random-coil to a β-sheet conformation specifically at the solid/water interface. In this 2D self-assembly, the high dispersity of the peptide-PEG molecule in solution such that it exists as single molecules is essential for improving the uniformity of the 2D patterned nanostructures. The secondary structure based on the peptide segment was controlled by pH of the solution. Configuration of the peptide-PEG conjugate was also controlled by the temperature of the solution, which depended on the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PEG segments. The variation in concentration of the peptide-PEG conjugate drastically influenced the morphologies of the 2D nanostructures because of the difference in the adsorbed amounts at equilibrium.

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