Photon management in supramolecular peptide nanomaterials

Self-assembling peptides with covalent pi-electron functionality offer new ways to create
delocalized conduits within protein-based nanomaterials. My group ’s recent research is summarized in
this regard, detailing foundational self-assembly and photophysical characterizations that validate
the electronic couplings existing within the resulting peptidic nanomaterials. Using these initial
studies as a benchmark, ongoing studies to create even more complex photonic energy delocalization
schemes are presented, spanning excitonic and F örster energy transfer to low-bandgap dopant sites
(whereby 46% of the observed photoluminescence could be quenched by the addition of 1 mol% of an
energy acceptor), the creation of charge separated states following photoinduced electron transfer
that persisted for over a nanosecond, and use of kinetic control to dictate self-sorting (at long
time scales, ca. several hours) or intimate coassembly (at short time scales, ca. several seconds)
of multiple p...

Source: Bioinspiration and Biomimetics - December 22, 2017 Category: Science Authors: John D Tovar Source Type: research