Surface-Directed Assembly of Sequence-Defined Synthetic Polymers into Networks of Hexagonally Patterned Nanoribbons with Controlled Functionalities

The exquisite self-assembly of proteins and peptides in nature into highly ordered functional materials has inspired innovative approaches to the design and synthesis of biomimetic materials. While sequence-defined polymers hold great promise to mimic proteins and peptides for functions, controlled assembly of them on surfaces still remains underdeveloped. Here, we report the assembly of 12-mer peptoids containing alternating acidic and aromatic monomers into networks of hexagonally patterned nanoribbons on mica surfaces. Ca2+–carboxylate coordination creates peptoid–peptoid and peptoid–mica interactions that control self-assembly. In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows that peptoids first assemble into discrete nanoparticles; these particles then transform into hexagonally patterned nanoribbons on mica surfaces. AFM-based dynamic force spectroscopy studies show that peptoid–mica interactions are much stronger than peptoid–peptoid interactions, illuminating the driving forces for mica-directed peptoid assembly. We further demonstrate the display of functional domains at the N-terminus of assembling peptoids to produce extended networks with similar hierarchical structures. This research demonstrates that surface-directed peptoid assembly can be used as a robust platform to develop biomimetic coating materials for applications.