Preparation of thin oligopeptide films using self-organized dendrimer monolayer as an anchoring scaffold

Functionalization of a self-organized poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer monolayer with oligopeptides on a silicon/quartz substrate is investigated in this paper. A monolayer of PAMAM dendrimers is formed on a silicon/quartz surface via electrostatic adsorption. The functionalization of the PAMAM monolayer with oligo-tryptophan (Trp) is performed by in situ ring-opening polymerization of Trp–N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). The substrates have been examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–Vis spectroscopy, which confirm that the self-organized PAMAM dendrimer monolayer can be used as an anchoring scaffold for the construction of thin oligopeptide film.