Self-assembled structures from amphiphilic peptides.

Sigg SJ; Schuster TB; Meier WP

doi:10.2533/chimia.2013.881

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Journal article

Self-assembled structures from amphiphilic peptides.

Sigg SJ Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 80, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Schuster TB
Meier WP

2014-03-06

Published in:

Chimia. - 2013

English Nanotechnology and its applications are strongly influenced by structures self-assembled from a variety of different materials. This review covers nanostructures, including micelles, rod-like micelles, fibers and peptide beads, self-assembled from de novo designed amphiphilic peptides. The latter are promising candidates for the development of nanoscale carrier systems because they are completely composed of amino acids. In addition to designing primary sequences, secondary structure and external parameters are also discussed with respect to their impact on self-assembly. Moreover, the assembly process itself is examined. Potential applications range from gene and drug delivery devices to diagnostics, thereby highlighting the versatility of the system.

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