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Peptide‐Thiophene Hybrids as Self‐Assembling Conductive Hydrogels
Author(s) -
James Ellie I.,
Jenkins Lauren D.,
Murphy Amanda R.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201900285
Subject(s) - materials science , self healing hydrogels , monomer , thiophene , nanostructure , polymerization , conductive polymer , polymer , nanotechnology , self assembly , covalent bond , in situ polymerization , electrical conductor , peptide , polypyrrole , polymer chemistry , hybrid material , in situ , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , biochemistry , engineering
A bottom‐up approach is taken to confer multidimensional structure to conductive polymers by attaching thiophene monomers to peptides predicted to self‐assemble into a biomimetic, fibrous nanostructure. A library of 12 peptides containing covalently attached thiophene monomers are synthesized. Peptide sequences capable of robust self‐assembly and hydrogel formation in aqueous media are further polymerized in situ and the physical and electrical properties are characterized. The resulting hybrid materials have conductivities in the range of 10 −2 to 10 −3 S cm −1 and possess moduli in the range of several tissue types, making them potential candidates for use in tissue engineering and bioelectronic applications.