ABSTRACT
Solubilization of [60]fullerene in water is a major challenge for biological and medical applications. To this purpose in this communication we describe for the first time a new dispersing system based on a peptide topological template. The presence of two carbobenzyloxy groups on the peptide side chains allows π-π interactions with [60]fullerene leading to the formation of stable supramolecular nanocomposites by means of mechanochemical methods. In particular, by high speed vibration milling colloidal dispersions (mean particle diameter 63 nm) containing up to 1.3 mg mL(-1) of [60]fullerene were obtained. Its presence in water was verified through UV-Vis and MALDI-TOF measurements, while its concentration was determined by thermogravimetric analysis.
Subject(s)
Fullerenes/chemistry , Peptides/chemistry , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization , Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet , Thermogravimetry , Water/chemistryABSTRACT
We report in this communication the synthesis of star-shaped carbon quantum dots-(poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) conjugates that self-assemble into microstructures and retain the characteristic emission properties of the native dots. Dots were used either as an initiator to give a daisy-like peptide-polymer structure or as capping agents towards more elaborated hybrid nanostructures.
ABSTRACT
In this work, we present novel fullerene (C60) end-capped rod-like polypeptide-polymers, obtained by one-pot thiol-ene chemistry. These systems are able to self-assemble in water creating precise bulky microstructures of toroidal or vesicular shapes. Independent molecular dynamics simulations supported the observed experimental results.
