Biomacromolecules, Vol.15, No.11, 4002-4011, 2014
Hierarchical Assembly of Branched Supramolecular Polymers from (Cyclic Peptide)-Polymer Conjugates
We report the synthesis and assembly of (N-methylated cyclic peptide)polymer conjugates for which the cyclic peptide is attached to either the alpha- or both alpha- and omega- end groups of a polymer. A combination of chromatographic, spectroscopic, and scattering techniques reveals that the assembly of the conjugates follows a two-level hierarchy, initially driven by H-bond formation between two N-methylated cyclic peptides, followed by unspecific, noncovalent aggregation of this peptide into small domains that behave as branching points and lead to the formation of branched supramolecular polymers.