| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/L34983/01 |
| Title: |
SELF-ASSEMBLING POLYMERIC PEPTIDE BETA-SHEET TAPES: THEIR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS |
| Principal Investigator: |
Boden, Professor N |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Centre for Molecular Nanoscience |
| Organisation: |
University of Leeds |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 November 1996 |
Ends: |
30 April 2000 |
Value (£): |
220,457
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Materials Characterisation |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Peptides (5-30 residues) are to be designed to self-assemble, via intermolecular hydrogen bonding, into long flexible polymer tapes which can become entangled to form thermostable gels in either water or other polar solvents. The concentration dependence of the size and shape of these tapes will be studied in dilute solutions to characterise the self-assembly process. In the gels, the dynamics and persistence lengths of the tapes, the mesh size of the network, and any local interactions (stacking, junction formation) of tapes will be characterised. Long time relaxation processes, unique to networks of self-assembled tapes, will be studied in relationship to the potential for mechanical control of rheological properties. The adsorption of tapes onto model self-assembled monolayer surfaces will be studied and tapes will be designed to have specific surface recognition properties. These studies will provide the fundamental knowledge required to engineer the functional properties of beta-sheet tapes and their gels. This prospect, together with their high-temperature stability, biocampatability and environmental friendliness (biodegradability and reprocessing exploiting disassociation) make these new materials attractive for a wide range of applications in areas such as responsive industrial materials, controlled drug delivery, consumer products and biomaterials.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.leeds.ac.uk |