Spatially Controlled Supramolecular Polymerization of Peptide Nanotubes by Microfluidics

Abstract

The recent advances in the supramolecular polymerization of synthetic building blocks in aqueous conditions has given rise to new artificial and biocompatible functional materials. However, despite the importance of spatially resolved self‐assembly for natural and artificial molecular machines, the spatial control of supramolecular polymerization with synthetic monomers has not been experimentally established yet. Here we describe a microfluidic‐regulated tandem process of supramolecular polymerization and droplet encapsulation to control the position of self‐assembled microfibrillar bundles of cyclic peptide nanotubes in water droplets. This method allowed the precise preferential localization of the fibres either at the interface or into the core of the droplets. UV absorbance, circular dichroism and fluorescence microscopy indicated that the microfluidic control of the stimuli (changes in pH or ionic strength) can be employed to adjust the packing degree and the spatial position of microfibrillar bundles of cyclic peptide nanotubes. Additionally, this spatially organized supramolecular polymerization of peptide nanotubes was applied in the assembly of highly ordered two‐dimensional droplet networks