Directed assembly of peptidomimetic scaffolds. Kirshenbaum and Ward have begun examining biomimetic peptoids modified with ligands capable of coordinating metals, producing nanoscale protein scaffolds, stitched together with metal ions, with predictable metrics and network topologies. The secondary structures of the peptoids are intrinsically responsive to pH, salt effects, and ligand binding, promising a new generation of responsive materials and sensors. Furthermore, this approach has the potential to generate membranes with nanoscale porosity as well as unique templates for the crystallization of biominerals and inorganic semiconductors.


SESMI students will synthesize peptoid oligomers with diverse metal chelating side chains and evaluate the influence of metal coordination on conformation, characterizing the networks with circular dichroism, SEM, and AFM.