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Hierarchical Self‐Assembly of Peptide‐Coated Carbon Nanotubes
Author(s) -
Dalton A. B.,
OrtizAcevedo A.,
Zorbas V.,
Brunner E.,
Sampson W. M.,
Collins S.,
Razal J. M.,
Miki Yoshida M.,
Baughman R. H.,
Draper R. K.,
Musselman I. H.,
JoseYacaman M.,
Dieckmann G. R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.200400190
Subject(s) - carbon nanotube , materials science , nanotechnology , carbon nanobud , nanostructure , carbon fibers , self assembly , carbon nanotube actuators , nanotube , optical properties of carbon nanotubes , composite material , composite number
Numerous applications, from molecular electronics to super‐strong composites, have been suggested for carbon nanotubes. Despite this promise, difficulty in assembling raw carbon nanotubes into functional structures is a deterrent for applications. In contrast, biological materials have evolved to self‐assemble, and the lessons of their self‐assembly can be applied to synthetic materials such as carbon nanotubes. Here we show that single‐walled carbon nanotubes, coated with a designed amphiphilic peptide, can be assembled into ordered hierarchical structures. This novel methodology offers a new route for controlling the physical properties of nanotube systems at all length scales from the nano‐ to the macroscale. Moreover, this technique is not limited to assembling carbon nanotubes, and could be modified to serve as a general procedure for controllably assembling other nanostructures into functional materials.