Peptoid nanosheets are a modifiable class of polymer that can accommodate side chain ligands via attachment to the nitrogen of the peptoid backbone. The interchangeability of the peptoid functional groups make them suitable for a wide range of temperature and pH conditions. Bilayers of peptoids form through an intermediate monolayer resulting in highly organized 2D nanosheets. Understanding the processes that mediate interfacial adsorption and assembly of nanosheets at the oil-water interface expands the diversity of applications including catalysts, molecular sensors, and artificial membranes by permitting oil soluble chemical reagents, minimizing evaporation of the aqueous phase, and allowing microfluidic production. The formation of peptoid nanosheets at the carbon tetrachloride-water (CCl4-H2O) interface was investigated by total internal reflection (TIR) vibrational sum frequency (VSF) spectroscopy and tensiometry measurements, helping to identify the molecular orientations and intermolecular forces involved in the packing of peptoid chains containing a variety of charge and steric groups, as well as showing that interfacial chemistry plays a key role in the sequence design and 2D assembly.

Novel peptoid nanosheet assembly at the oil-water interface

248th National Meeting (2014)

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