Poly(L-glutamic acid) via catalytical hydrogenation for the fabrication of carbon nanotube nanocomposites

The synthesis of poly(L-glutamic acid) (PG) was investigated. Reduction of poly(benzyl-L-glutamate) by the palladium/charcoal catalyst proved to be an effective method for obtaining polyglutamic acid pure and particularly exhibiting in the α-helix secondary structure. The structure of this synthetic polypeptide was assessed by infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry and wide-angle powder X-ray diffraction methods. The α-helical PG was, for the first time, combined with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The obtained PG was demonstrated to be a promising matrix to disperse MWCNTs, forming MWCNT/PG biocomposites.