Issue 9, 2011

Modular design for the controlled production of polymeric nanotubes from polymer/peptide conjugates

Abstract

We have established a new strategy to produce functional organic nanotubes of controlled structure from cyclic peptide/polymer conjugates. The structure guiding cyclic peptide motif was coupled to the polymeric chains viacopper-catalyzed azide–alkyne click reaction, to yield very well-defined conjugates. The resulting conjugates were then self-assembled into nanotubes in solution. We were able to control to some extent the length of the nanotubes, by modifying the length of the polymer chain as well as by mixing conjugates of different molecular weights together. In a similar fashion we were able to prepare functional tubes from a range of polymers including poly(butyl acrylate), poly(dimethyl amino ethyl acrylate), poly(acrylic acid), poly(styrene) and poly(hydroxyl ethyl acrylate), as well as tubes with mixed functionality, by self-assembling a mixture of conjugates of differing polymer functionality. This modular approach is a powerful technique to generate a large number of nanotubes of varying size and functionality, in a controlled and rapid process. We believe this new approach will permit the design of a wide range of functional organic nanotubes of controlled structure, in a simple and efficient process.

Graphical abstract: Modular design for the controlled production of polymeric nanotubes from polymer/peptide conjugates

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 May 2011
Accepted
10 May 2011
First published
27 May 2011

Polym. Chem., 2011,2, 1956-1963

Modular design for the controlled production of polymeric nanotubes from polymer/peptide conjugates

R. Chapman, K. A. Jolliffe and S. Perrier, Polym. Chem., 2011, 2, 1956 DOI: 10.1039/C1PY00202C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements