Monoliths of Aligned Silica-Polypeptide Hexagonal Platelets

Water soluble α-helical polypeptides were used to prepare silica coated hexagonal single crystal platelets in concentrated solutions. To our knowledge, there is no other instance where polymer single crystals, typically formed under high dilution, can be grown in a bulk material. This unprecedented self-assembly process relies on complex cooperative interactions where silica condensation mediates the growth of polypeptide crystals, which in turn template silica overgrowth. The helices were also used to align samples giving monoliths composed of highly oriented layers of platelets. Overall, this procedure allows preparation of composites with good structural order and complexity via a simple biomimetic process.