Sticky tubes and magnetic hydrogels co-assembled by a short peptide and melanin-like nanoparticles

This communication describes the co-assembly of polydopamine spheres, either bare or coated with Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles, with the short aromatic peptide diphenylalanine. The combination of polydopamine particles and diphenylalanine generated tubular structures decorated with adhesive spherical particles, while the co-assembly of the polydopamine spheres coated with magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with diphenylalanine resulted in the formation of a magnetic hydrogel. These new architectures may be useful as new vehicles for several applications including tissue regeneration and drug delivery.