Cryo-EM Visualization of Intermolecular π-Electron Interactions within π-Conjugated Peptidic Supramolecular Polymers

Dataset · Mon Jul 21 04:00:00 EDT 2025

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.5c00360· OSTI ID:3004228

Rich-New, Shane T. ^[1]; Wang, Runlai ^[2]; Zia, Ayisha ^[1]; Wang, Fengbin ^[1]; Tovar, John D. ^[3]

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1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics; University of Alabama at Birmingham
2. Department of Chemistry; Johns Hopkins University
3. Department of Chemistry; Johns Hopkins University; Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Johns Hopkins University

The self-assembly of “π-peptides” – molecules with π-electron cores substituted with two or more oligopeptide chains – brings organic electronic function into biologically relevant nanomaterials. π-Peptides assemble into fibrillar nanomaterials as driven by enthalpic peptide-based hydrogen bonding networks and pi-core-based quadrupolar interactions. A large body of spectroscopic, morphological and computational studies informs on the nature of the self-assembly process and the resulting nanostructures, but detailed structural information has remained elusive. Inspired by the recent use of cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to provide high-resolution structures for synthetic peptide nanomaterials, we present here the use of cryo-EM to offer ca. 3 Å resolution of π-peptide nanomaterial assemblies, visualizing for the first time the nature of the intermolecular π-core electronic interactions responsible for energy transport through these supramolecular materials.

• Research Organization: Regents of the University of California, Irvine
• Sponsoring Organization: Johns Hopkins University; National Institutes of Health; National Science Foundation
• DOE Contract Number: SC0020322; SC0024303
• OSTI ID: 3004228
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English