We have recently discovered a series of synthetic supramolecular polymers that self-assemble into well-defined helical structures in aqueous solution with nanoscale pitches on the order of 30 nm. One of these tetrapeptides was used as a template to grow silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) under reducing conditions, forming a helical array of AgNPs on the range of 8 nm. A peptide with the same amino acid residues in a different order formed much flatter nanoribbon structures in aqueous solution. Growth of AgNPs on the nanoribbons formed arrays of ~8 nm AgNPs but without the helical arrangement. Both types of AgNP arrays enhanced Raman scattering of two model analytes compared with AgNPs alone or peptides alone, but the helical AgNP arrays provided a much stronger SERS signal that the non-helical arrays. We attribute this difference to the ability of the helical structures to hold the AgNPs in a favorable array that maximizes their plasmonic properties.

Supramolecular hybrid materials: Templation of helical Ag nanoparticle arrays using supramolecular polymers based on peptides

ACS Fall 2021

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